PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Division 

Section \ 

Shelf Number 


:bs-s:8o 


MEN  OF 

THE  BIBLE. 

Under  an  arrangement  with  the  English  pub- 
lishers, Messrs.  A.  D.  F.  Randolph  &  Co. 
will  issue  a  series  of  volumes  by  distinguished 
scholars,  on 

THE   MEN   OF   THE   BIBLE. 

ABRAHAM  :    HIS    LIFE   AND    TIMES.     By  the 

Rev.  W.  J.  Deane,  M.A. 
MOSES  :   HIS   LIFE  AND   TIMES.     By  the  Rev. 

Canon  G.  Rawlinson,  M.A. 
SOLOMON  :  HIS  LIFE  AND  TIMES.   By  the  Ven. 

Archdeacon  Farrar,  D.D. 
ISAIAH  :   HIS   LIFE  AND  TIMES.     By  the  Rev. 

Canon  S.  R.  Driver,  M.A. 
SAMUEL  AND    SAUL:     THEIR    LIVES    AND 

TIMES.     By  Rev.  William  J.  Dean,  M.A. 

IN    PREPARATION. 
GIDEON  :  HIS  LIFE  AND  TIMES.     By  the  Rev. 

J.  M.  Lang,  D.D. 
JEREMIAH:    HIS    LIFE  AND  TIMES.     By  the 

Rev.  Canon  T.  K.  Cheyne,  M.A. 
JESUS  THE  CHRIST  :  HIS  LIFE  AND  TIMES. 

By  the  Rev.  F.  J.  Vallings,  M.A. 

To  the  student  and  the  general  reader  these 
volumes  will  be  found  alike  useful  and  inter- 
esting, and  the  questio7i  may  well  be  asked,  why 
the  intelligent  reader  should  not  find  the  lives 
of  the  great  men  of  the  Bible  as  useful  or  as 
fascinating  as  the  story  of  those  who  have  won 
a  conspicuous  place  in  the  annals  of  secular 
history.  And  yet  how  indifferent  thousands  of 
cultivated  persons  are  to  these  lives,  save  only 
as  they  are  recorded  in  outline  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures.     Price,  $i.oo  each. 

*^*  Sent  by  mail  on  receipt  of  price. 

ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  COMPANY, 

38   WEST  TWENTY-THIRD   STREET,   N.   Y. 


SAMUEL    AND    SAUL 

THEIR  LIVES  AND  TIMES. 


BY 

REV.  WILLIAM   J.  DEANE,  M.A., 

RECTOR   OF   ASHEN,    ESSEX. 


NEW  YORK: 
ANSON  D.  F.  RANDOLPH  &  COMPANY, 

38   WEST  TWENTY-THIRD   STREET. 


PREFACE. 


The  materials  for  the  lives  of  Samuel  and  Saul  are  found  only 
in  the  First  Book  of  Samuel,  the  First  Book  of  Chronicles,  and 
in  some  few  notices  in  the  New  Testament.  The  ancient 
monuments  afford  no  help,  except  in  so  far  as  they  have 
tended  to  settle  the  chronology  of  the  Exodus  and  the  reign  of 
Solomon,  and  consequently  of  events  reckoned  from  those  eras. 
Of  late  years  such  a  mass  of  illustrative  matter,  historical, 
geographical,  and  connected  with  manners  and  customs,  has 
been  collected,  that  the  writer's  task  is  greatly  facilitated,  and 
he  has  rather  to  select  and  employ  existing  materials  than  to 
busy  himself  with  independent  investigation.  I  have  largely 
availed  myself  of  such  aids,  and  gladly  own  my  obligations  to 
the  commentaries  of  Bishop  Ellicott,  Mr.  Kirkpatrick,  and 
especially  of  Dean  Payne  Smith  in  "  The  Pulpit  Commentary." 
I  have  also  found  some  aid  in  three  recent  continental  publi- 
cations, viz.,  the  commentary  of  Clair  in  "  La  Sainte  Bible  avec 
Commentaires,"  of  Hummelauer  in  "  Cursus  Scripturse  sacrse," 
and  of  Klostermann  in  *'  Kurzgefasster  Kommentar." 

As  the  Life  of  David  forms  a  separate  number  of  this  series 
of  "  Men  of  the  Bible,"  I  have  touched  but  lightly  on  some 
particulars  wherein  he  and  Saul  are  concerned.  The  reader 
will  find  a  fuller  account  in  "  David  :  his  Life  and  Times." 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FAGS 

Samuel's  Youth      .* ,i 

Ramathaim-Zophim — Elkanah  ;  his  wives ;  attends  the  annual 
festival — Shiloh — The  Judges — EH  and  his  sons — Hannah's  vow 
— Nazirism — Samuel  born  ;  dedicated  at  the  Tabernacle — Scrip- 
ture canticles — Hannah's  Mag7iificat — Women  of  the  Tabernacle 
— Samuel's  early  training  —  Sins  of  Eli's  sons— The  prophet's 
warning. 

CHAPTER  n. 

First  Revelation  to  Samuel.    Capture  and  Restoration  of 
THE  Akk 28 

Life  of  Samuel  at  Shiloh— The  doom  of  Eli  revealed  to  Samuel — 
Samuel  accredited  as  Prophet  ;  meaning  of  the  term  — Condition 
of  Israel  and  need  of  reformation — Oppression  by  the  Philistines 
— Rebellion  of  the  Israelites— Battle  of  Aphek — Defeat  of  the 
Israelites — Capture  of  the  Ark — Death  of  Eli — Tabernacle  re- 
moved to  Nob— Shiloh  destroyed — The  ark  taken  to  Ashdod — 
Dagon—  Philistines  plagued — Ark  sent  to  Gath  ;  to  Ekron — Divi- 
nations—Propitiatory offerings— Ark  returned  to  the  IsraeUtes 
at  Bethshemesh  ;  placed  at  Kirjath-Jearim. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Samuel,  Judge  and  Prophet 59 

Samuel's  efforts  at  reformation— Samuel  recf  gni  ed  as  Judge — 
Assembles  the  people  at  Mizpah — National  repentance— insur- 
rection —Philistines  defeated  at  Ebenezer — Effects  of  the  victory — 
Theocratic  government — Samuel's  judicial  circuit — He  establishes 
"Schools of  the  Prophets" — Chronology  of  his  life — Samuel's  sons 
— The  people  demand  a  king — Samuel,  by  God's  conmiand,  ac- 
quiesces in  their  request,  but  warns  them  of  the  consequences — 
The  people  persist  in  their  demand. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Saul  Anointed  King 79 

Saul  ;  his  genealogy — Is  advised  to  consult  Samuel  at  Ramah 
concerning  the   loss  of  his    father's    asses— The    high-place  — 


VI  CONTENTS. 


PAGK 

Simuel  warned  of  the  coming  of  the  destined  king,  receives  Saul 
with  high  honour — Intimates  his  future  lot — Privately  anoints 
him  king — Meaning  of  such  unction  -Samuel  gives  Saul  three 
signs,  and  a  premonition  as  a  trial  of  faith-  Saul  returns  home — 
Keeps  his  own  counsel — Is  publicly  chosen  king  at  Mizpah  — 
Divination  by  lot — Saul's  early  policy. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Saul's  First  Victory 99 

The  Ammonites  ;  they  attack  Jabesh-Gilead  ;  offer  ignominious 
terms  to  the  inhabitants— Saul  hears  of  the  distress  ;  summons 
all  Israel  ;  makes  a  forced  march  and  relieves  Jabesh-Gilead— His 
wise  forbearance  and  magnanimity. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Samuel  Abdicates 109 

Renewal  of  the  monarchy— Samuel  abrogates  the  office  of  Judge  ; 
defends  his  past  career  ;  shows  thnt  nothing  in  it  excused  the 
demand  for  a  king— His  words  confirmed  by  a  portent  ;  endorsed 
by  acclamation— He  promises  to  intercede  for  the  people. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Saul's  First  Rejection 117 

Chronology  of  Sauls  reign — Saul  chooses  a  body-guard — Mich- 
mash— Jonathan  destroys  the  column  at  Gcba— Philistines  prepare 
for  war  with  overwhelming  force — Saul  retreats  to  Gilgal — Israel- 
ites disheartened^Trial  of  Saul's  faith — His  failure  and  disobedi- 
ence—His sin  explained— He  is  punished  by  rejection —A  successor 
is  announced — Samuel  leaves  Saul. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Battle  of  Michmash 129 

Saul  at  Geba — The  Philistines  devastate  the  land — Jonathan  and 
his  armour-bearer  attack  their  garrison— The  Philistines,  panic- 
stricken,  fly — Saul  joins  in  the  pursuit— Great  slaughter  of  the 
Philistines — Saul's  rash  vow  ;  broken  unwittingly  by  Jonathan — 
The  violater  discovered  by  lot— Jonathan  rescued  from  death  by 
the  people. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Saul's  Final  Rejection 144 

The  family  of  Saul — He  gathers  a  chosen  band  of  warriors— His 
successful  wars— The  Amalekites— Saul  ordered  to  destroy  them 
utterly— A  trial  of  obedience — The  Ban— Great  destruction  of  the 
Amalekites — Saul  spares  Agng  and  the  best  of  the  spoil — Samuel 
warned  of  Saul's  disobedience  ;  tax<s  him  with  his  sin  ;  pro- 
nounces his  final  rejection— Slays  Agag  -Abandons  Saul  finally. 


CONTENTS.  VII 

CHAPTER  X. 

1>AGB 

A  Successor  Anointed  ,...•••••  158 
Samuel  sent  to  Bethlehem— Anoints  David— Condition  of  Saul- 
David  summoned  to  soothe  him  with  music— Philistines  invade 
Judah— Valley  of  Elah— Goliath  challenges  the  Israelites— David 
accepts  the  challenge  ;  kills  the  giant— Defeat  and  slaughter  of 
the  Philistines— Saul  takes  David  into  his  service — Friendship  of 
David  and  Jonathan. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Saul's  Jealousy  and  Mania x68 

Saul  is  jealous  of  David— Progress  of  his  malady — Saul  thn  atens 
David's  life— Employs  him  on  military  expeditions— Gives  nim 
his  daughter  in  marriage  on  condition  of  his  slaying  one 
hundred'Philistines — Plots  against  his  hfe— Relents  for  a  while  at 
Jonathan's  intercession — Soon  resumes  his  evil  purpose — Tries  to 
kill  David — David  saved  by  Michal— Flees  to  Samuel  at  Ramah 
— Saul  sends  to  arrest  him — Naioth— The  messengers  pj:ophesy — 
Saul  goes  himself  to  Ramah  and  prophesies. 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

Saul's  Persecution  of  David 178 

Saul's  intention  towards  David  tested  at  the  Festival  of  the  New 
Moon  ;  and  proved  to  be  murderous— Jonathan  informs  David, 
who  flees  to  Nob  ;  is  received  and  fed  by  Alnmelech — Doeg  is 
present  ;  informs  Saul  of  what  happened  there — Massacre  of  the 
priests  at  Nob — Saul  pursues  David  to  Ziph — Disaffection  in  the 
land—Saul  nearly  entraps  David  at  Maon— Is  spared  by  David 
at  Engedi— Affected  by  David's  forbearance,  Saul  professes  re- 
conciliation. 

CHAPTER  XHI. 

The  Death  of  Samuel 190 

Samuel  dies— His  funeral  and  tomb^His  services  to  Israel — His 
character— His  difficulties— His  accomplished  work. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Death  of  Saul 198 

Saul  again  pursues  David  to  Hachilah — His  life  spared  a  second 
time  by  David— Saul's  compunction — Philistines  invade  the 
country  wit-h  large  forces — Saul  encamps  at  Gilboa — Can  obtain 
no  Divine  counsel— Consults  a  witch  at  Endor  ;  is  answered  by 
the  spirit  of  Samuel — Warned  of  his  approaching  defeat  and 
death — Returns  to  his  camp — Battle  of  Gilboa — Defeat  of  Israel 

—  Death  of  Saul  and  his  sons — Their  bodies  affixed  to  the  walls 
of  Bethshan  ;  removed  and  buried  by  the  men  of  Jabesh-Gilead 

—  News  of  the  catastrophe  brought  to  David — His  conduct 
thereupon — His  funeral  elegy— Summary  of  Saul's  character. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Samuel's  youth. 

Ramathaim-Zophim — Elkanah  ;  his  wives  ;  attends  annual  festival — Shiloh 
— The  Judges — Eli  and  his  sons — Hannah's  vow — Nazirism — Samuel 
born  ;  dedicated  at  the  Tabernacle—  Scripture  canticles  —  Hannah's 
Magnificat — Women  of  the  Tabernacle — Samuel's  early  training — 
Sins  of  Eli's  sons — The  prophet's  warning. 

Some  few  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  borders  of  the  terri- 
tory of  Benjamin,  stood  the  town  of  Ramathaim-Zophim,  better 
known  under  the  name  of  Ramah,  and  still  more  familiar  in  the 
form  of  Arimathaea,  the  home  of  that  Joseph  who  was  deemed 
worthy  to  have  the  privilege  of  laying  in  his  own  tomb  the  body 
of  Jesus.  The  exact  site  of  the  place  is  unknown  ;  but  though 
situated  in  Benjamin,  it  is  said  in  our  record  to  lie  in  Mount 
Ephraim  because  the  limestone  ridge  so  called  extended  far 
south,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  tribe  whence  it  derived  its  appel- 
lation.* Ramathaim,  which  means  "  The  Two  Ramahs,"  or 
Heights,  was  so  called  because  it  was  built  on  two  hills,  and  the 
word  Zophim  was  added  to  distinguish  it  from  other  towns  which 
bore  the  same  name.  Where  there  was  an  upper  and  a  lower 
city,  or  where  more  than  one  village  or  town  were  combined 
under  one  designation,  this  name  was  often  a  dual  or  plural 
form.  Familiar  instances  are  Athenas,  Thebae,  Mycenae.  The 
addition  of  Zophim  was  derived  from  the  original  founder  of  the 
place.  In  remote  times  there  had  been  a  man  of  some  eminence 
named  Zuph,  who  had  given   his  name  to  the  whole  district 

»  Dean  Payne  Smith,  "  Pulpit  Commentary." 
2 


2  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

(i  Sam.  ix.  5),  and  his  descendants,  the  Zophim,  had  made 
Ramah  their  chief  dwelling.'  The  head  of  this  family,  at  the 
time  when  our  history  opens,  some  twelve  centuries  before  the 
Christian  era,  was  one  Elkanah,  a  Levite  of  the  line  of  Kohath, 
but  who,  his  ancestors  having  originally  dwelt  in  Ephraim, 
(Josh.  xxi.  20),  was  considered  to  belong  to  that  tribe,  and  is 
called  (i  Sam.  i.  i)  an  Ephrathite  or  Ephraimite.  He  was  a 
man  of  wealth  and  high  position,  living  on  his  own  property  and 
apparently  not  officiating  as  a  Levite,  and  in  the  exercise  of  his 
discretion  had  married  two  wives,  Hannah  and  Peninnah,  the 
second  wife  being  taken  when  all  hope  of  having  a  son  by  the 
first  was  abandoned.  Although  no  one  who  studied  the  record 
of  the  first  institution  of  marriage  could  doubt  that  man  was 
intended  to  have  but  one  wife,  yet  polygamy  was  not  forbidden 
in  the  Mosaic  law,  and  those  who  practised  it  did  not  offend 
against  any  formal  enactment.  Like  slavery,  it  had  long  and 
widely  prevailed  when  the  Sinaitic  covenant  was  made,  and  the 
legislator  accepted  the  custom  and  only  took  care  to  regulate  and 
limit  its  practice.  But  infringements  of  the  law  of  nature  bring 
their  own  punishment.  We  first  read  of  this  violation  of  the 
primeval  ordinance  in  the  case  of  that  descendant  of  Cain,  the 
rude  and  ruffianly  Lamech^  who,  in  the  ancient  song  which 
Moses  has  preserved  (Gen.  iv.  23,  24),  boasts  of  his  corporal 
strength,  fearing  neither  God  nor  man,  and  trusting  to  his  own 
right  arm  for  defence  and  attack.  Elkanah's  home  life  was 
spoiled  by  the  bickering  and  contention  of  his  wives.  His  first 
wife  was  probably  Hannah,  "  Grace,"  whose  name  recalls  the 
sister  of  the  Carthaginian  Queen  Dido,  the  old  prophetess  in 
the  Temple  (Luke  ii.  36),  and  the  mother  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 
She  was  a  pious,  amiable,  unselfish  woman,  one  who,  in  men's 
judgment,  would  have  been  thought  a  fit  person  to  have  brought 
up  children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord ;  but  she 
had  to  endure  the  hard  fate  of  barrenness.  What  a  terrible 
calamity  this  was  considered  by  Hebrew  women  we  may  gather 
from  the  passionate  appeal  of  Rachel  to  her  husband  Jacob  : 
"  Give  me  children,  or  else  I  die  "  (Gen.  xxx.  i).      No  such 

^  Blunt,  in  loc,  translates  the  compound  word,  "  The  double  high  place 
of  the  Zuphite  family,"  and  considers  that  Ramah  itself  was  built  on  the 
side  of  a  hill,  and  that  the  high  place  was  above  the  town,  at  the  top  of  the 
eminence,  being  now  represented  by  Neby-Samwil,  four  miles  north-west 
of  Jerusalem. 


SAMUEL'S   YOUTH.  3 

impatience  was  found  in  Hannah.  She  is  meek  and  calm  even 
under  the  grossest  provocation.  Despairing  of  offspring  from  his 
first  consort,  Elkanah  takes  a  second  wife,  Peninnah,  "  Pearl," 
or,  as  we  might  call  her,  Margaret,  and  by  her  becomes  the 
father  of  numerous  sons  and  daughters.  Vain  of  her  maternity, 
despising  one  who  was  denied  the  blessing  of  children,  and 
jealous  of  the  love  with  which  her  husband  regarded  her  rival, 
Peninnah  lost  no  opportunity  of  deriding  and  revihng  Hannah 
both  in  public  and  in  private.  Elkanah  was  a  religious  and 
sensible  man,  and  did  not  visit  his  disappointment  on  Hannah, 
but,  rising  superior  to  the  common  sentiment  of  his  time  and 
nation,  regarded  his  childless  wife  with  special  favour,  and 
showed  her  unusual  tokens  of  regard.  Far  from  losing  her 
husband's  love,  as  she  might  naturally  have  feared,  Hannah 
becomes  doubly  dear  to  him  ;  and  when  he  finds  her  weeping 
at  the  insults  offered  by  Peninnah,  and  unable  to  eat  her  food 
by  reason  of  grief  at  heart,  he  comforts  her  in  the  tenderest 
fashion.  "Hannah,"  he  says,  "  why  weepest thou ?  andwhyeatest 
thou  not  ?  and  why  is  thy  heart  grieved  ?  am  not  I  better  to  thee 
than  ten  sons  ?  "  Thus  was  Hannah's  grief  consoled,  and  the 
unmerited  reproach  under  which  she  laboured  was  made  easier 
to  endure.  She  learned  to  bear  her  burden,  to  acknowledge  that 
she  was  tried  in  the  same  manner  as  her  great  ancestresses, 
Sarah  and  Rebekah,  and  to  acquiesce  in  the  dispensation, 
waiting  patiently  for  the  issue. 

It  had  been  ordered  originally  that  all  male  Israelites  were 
yearly  to  attend  the  three  great  festivals  at  the  central  place  of 
worship.  They  were  to  appear  before  the  Lord  at  the  feasts  of 
the  Passover,  Pentecost,  and  Tabernacles.^  But  this  rule  had 
never  been  observed,  and  certainly  in  the  unsettled  times  which 
succeeded  the  death  of  Joshua  had  fallen  into  desuetude,  and 
one  public  attendance  in  the  year  was  thought  sufficient  even  by 
religious  and  scrupulous  people.  This,  too,  seems  to  have  been 
the  rule  in  later  times.  Elkanah  used  to  go  up  yearly  to  the 
house  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  to  worship  and  to  sacrifice.  Amid  the 
laxity  and  corruption  that  existed,  when  men  did  what  was  right 
in  their  own  eyes,  and  neither  coercive  authority  nor  public 
opinion  enforced  any  close  observance  of  Mosaic  enactments, 
yet  the  Law  was  well  known,  and  obeyed,  as  far  as  practicable, 
by  the  devout  families  in  the  land.  Though  women  were  not 
^  Exod.  xxiii.  14-17. 


4  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

required  to  make  this  pilgrimage,  Elkanah  took  his  wives  with 
him  on  these  occasions,  as  the  Virgin  Maryaccompanied  Joseph 
when  he  made  his  annual  journey  to  Jerusalem  to  celebrate  the 
Passover/  Piety  rejoices  to  do  more  than  bare  duty  requires. 
Whatparticular  festival  it  was  which  was  thus  solemnly  observed 
we  are  not  told  ;  but  it  was  most  probably  the  Passover,  that 
great  national  holy  day  which  no  pious  and  patriotic  Hebrew 
would  willingly  forego.  This  feast  the  family  of  the  good  Elkanah 
celebrated  before  the  ark  in  the  place  which  God  had  chosen. 

The  tabernacle  was  now  established  at  Shiloh,  where  origin- 
ally it  had  been  pitched  by  Joshua,  and  which  during  all  the 
time  of  the  Judges  had  been  the  centre  of  religious  worship.  If, 
as  may  have  been  the  case,  it  was  temporarily  moved  to  some 
other  locality,  as  Bethel  and  Mizpah,  it  always  returned  to 
Shiloh,  and  this  place  was  regarded  as  the  national  sanctuary 
unto  which  all  Israel  resorted  to  meet  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  It 
was,  indeed,  a  site  well  fitted  for  this  purpose,  not  for  its  beauty, 
which  in  those  days  would  have  been  no  consideration,  nor  for 
its  strength,  for  it  was  by  no  means  a  naturally  strong  position, 
but  for  its  seclusion  and  accessibility.^  Its  very  name,  "  Place 
of  Rest,"  gives  the  clue  to  its  suitableness  for  being  the  home  of 
the  shrine  of  the  covenant  people  ;  and  appertaining  to  the 
powerful  tribe  of  Ephraim  it  was  as  secure  from  danger  as  any 
place  in  the  whole  country.  Its  position  is  described  carefully 
in  Judges  xxi.  19  as  being  '*  on  the  north  side  of  Bethel,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up  from  Bethel  to  Shechem, 
and  on  the  south  of  Lebonah."  These  data  have  served  to 
identify  Shiloh  with  the  modern  Seilun,  a  village  a  little  to  the 
east  of  the  main  road  from  Bethel  to  Nablus,  the  ancient  She- 
chem, and  "  covering  a  small  hill,  which  is  separated  from  the 
higher  mountain  on  the  north  by  a  deep  narrow  valley,  coming 
from  the  east,  and  running  down  towards  El-Lubban  (Lebonah). 
On  the  east  and  west  of  the  hill  are  two  small,  though  much 
wider  valleys,  running  down  north  into  the  former."  3  The  hill 
itself  has  been  cut  down  on  the  north  side  to  form  a  level  sur- 
face some  eighty  feet  wide  by  four  hundred  long,  and  on  the 
plateau  thus  obtained  the  tabernacle  was  probably  erected.  "No 
spot  in  Central  Palestine,"  says  Dr.  Geikie,  "  could  be  more  se- 
cluded than  this  early  sanctuary  ;  nothing  more  featureless  than 

*  Luke  ii.  41.  "^  Stanley,  "Jewish  C'lnirch,"  i.  278. 

3  Robinson,  "  Biblical  Researches,"  iii.  85  ft".,  ed.  1841. 


SAMUEL'S  YOUTH.  5 

the  landscape  around  ;  so  featureless,  indeed,  the  landscape, 
and  so  secluded  the  spot,  that  from  the  time  of  St.  Jerome  till 
its  re-discovery  by  Dr.  Robinson  in  1838,  the  very  site  was 
forgotten  and  unknown."  According  to  rabbinical  tradition, 
there  was  no  regular  edifice  raised  for  the  reception  of  the  ark 
or  substituted  for  the  tent  of  meeting  ;  a  low  stone  wall  surround- 
ing a  small  enclosure,  and  covered  with  the  tabernacle  curtains, 
was  the  structure  which  sufficed  to  contain  the  symbols  of  the 
Lord's  presence  among  His  people.  Round  this  erection  a  town 
had  gradually  grown,  the  entrance  to  which  was  guarded  by  a 
stone  gateway,  with  its  seats  and  open  area,  after  the  manner  of 
Eastern  cities.  But  the  whole  community  still  retained  some- 
thing of  a  nomadic  character,  and  was  called,  in  familar  speech, 
the  Camp  of  Shiloh.  Here,  under  the  vine-clad  hills  which  rise 
like  an  amphitheatre  around  the  sacred  spot,  flocked  the 
maidens  to  celebrate  with  dance  and  song  the  joyous  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  ;  here  assembled  the  heads  of  tribes  for  solemn 
council ;  and  here,  too,  as  time  went  on  and  Israel  declined 
more  and  more  to  heathen  customs,  gathered  the  devotees  of 
shameless  profligacy,  who  polluted  the  worship  of  Jehovah  with 
their  impure  practices. 

The  period  of  the  Judges  had  been  a  time  of  anarchy  and 
confusion.  With  no  central  authority  to  organize  the  various 
tribes  into  one  commonwealth,  with  no  regular  government,  the 
people,  acting  without  concert  and  doing  what  was  right  in  their 
own  eyes,  were  continually  endangering  their  own  safety,  com- 
mitting great  crimes,  and  provoking  the  wrath  of  the  Lord.  Then 
when  the  necessity  of  the  times  called  forth  some  hero  to  their 
rescue,  they  willingly  followed  his  guidance,  and  won  for  them- 
selves a  temporary  peace.  But  these  successes  were  only  local 
in  their  effects  :  and  very  commonly,  while  one  portion  of  the 
Holy  Land  was  enjoying  rest  and  prosperity,  in  another  qua;  ter 
the  colonists  were  oppressed  and  afflicted,  crushed  by  the 
enemies  whom  they  had  culpably  neglected  to  exterminate.  The 
date  of  Samson's  judgeship  is  not  determined,  but  it  probably 
coincided  with  the  latter  days  of  Eli.  But  he,  though  a  man  of 
wonderful  personal  prowess,  was  not  fit  to  be  a  ruler  and  leader 
in  difficult  times  ;  and  if  he  gave  an  example  to  his  contem- 
poraries of  successful  resistance  to  powerful  antagonists,  he 
produced  no  permanent  effect  on  the  condition  of  the  country, 
and  left  behind  him  nothing  but  the  memory  of  impracticable 


6  SAMUEL  AND   SAtfL. 

exploits  and  useless  victories.  There  was  need  of  one  who  was 
a  statesman  as  well  as  a  warrior  to  take  the  lead  at  this  crisis  of 
national  affairs.  The  Philistines,  sometimes  repulsed  or  defeated, 
never  yet  subdued,  and  inspired  with  the  deadliest  hatred  against 
the  Hebrews,  had  turned  all  their  energies  to  the  destruction  of 
the  invaders.  They  themselves  of  late  years  had  greatly  in- 
creased in  power,  owing  to  constant  immigrations  from  their  old 
home  in  Crete,  whence  also  they  obtained  supplies  of  arms  of 
quality  far  superior  to  any  procurable  by  the  Hebrews.  Thus 
they  were  able  to  contest  the  possession  of  the  country  under 
very  favourable  conditions,  and  Israel  had  to  contend  for  its  very 
existence  in  the  face  of  these  formidable  opponents.  What 
might  check  the  downward  course  of  the  Chosen  People,  and 
prevent  their  total  subjection  ?  The  judgeship,  founded  on  per- 
sonal courage,  and  proceeding  from  the  people,  had  proved 
incapable  of  effecting  any  permanent  amelioration  ;  there  re- 
mained another  expedient  by  which  the  threatened  ruin  of  the 
community  might  be  arrested.'  What  if  the  judicial  office,  com- 
bined with  the  sacerdotal,  might  prove  to  be  the  very  force 
needed  to  confederate  the  nation  in  a  strong  and  efficacious 
union,  which  would  enable  it  to  offer  resistance  to  all  aggression 
and  to  regain  lost  ground  ?  The  experiment  had  never  yet  been 
tried.  None  of  the  judges  had  been  of  priestly  descent.  At 
this  time  the  high-priesthood  was  held  by  Eli,  the  head,  not  of 
the  elder  branch  of  Aaron's  family,  that  of  Eleazar,  but  of  the 
house  of  Ithamar,  the  younger  son  of  Aaron.  The  circum- 
stances which  led  to  this  transference  of  the  headship  from  the 
one  to  the  other  are  nowhere  related,  and  various  reasons  have 
been  invented  to  account  for  the  change.^  But  the  office  ap- 
pertained to  the  family  rather  than  to  the  individual  ;  the  right 
of  primogeniture  did  not  necessarily  obtain  in  this  matter  ;  and 
any  eligible  member  who  had  raised  himself  to  eminence  might 
well  supersede  the  claims  of  supposed  birthright,  and  take  the 
first  place  when  a  vacancy  occurred.  This,  doubtless,  was  what 
happened  in  the  case  of  Eli.  That  it  was  no  usurpation  or  un- 
authorized intrusion  on  his  part  may  be  gathered  from  the  mes- 
sage brought  to  him  by  the  man  of  God  (i  Sam.  iii.  27  if.),  who 

*  Evvald,  "  History  of  Israel,"  ii.  181,  English  translation. 
^  Rabbinical  tradition  asserts  tliat  the  transfer  took  place  on  account  ol 
the  part  taken  by  Phinehas  in  the  sacrifice  of  Jephthah's  daughter  (Stanley, 
'Jewish  Church,"  i.  375). 


SAMUEL'S   YOUTH.  7 

makes  no  complaint  of  his  tenure  of  tlie  office,  but  only  of  the 
evil  administration  of  it  by  his  sons.  There  may  have  been  no 
member  of  the  elder  branch  of  sufficient  years  or  ability  to 
assume  the  office  ;  or,  as  is  very  probable,  Eli  had  in  his  earlier 
days  proved  himself  a  great  warrior  or  a  competent  leader,  and 
was  raised  to  his  high  post  by  general  acclamation.  The  posi- 
tion of  judge,  to  which  his  services  had  elevated  him  during  the 
days  of  Samson,  naturally  pointed  him  out  as  a  fit  person  to 
fill  the  office  of  high  priest  when  unoccupied.  Nor  was  this 
dignity  at  that  time  of  any  special  consideration.  The  strict 
adherents  of  the  traditional  religion  were  few  and  of  small  poli- 
tical importance,  so  that  there  was  no  competition  for  the  post, 
and  any  member  of  the  Aaronic  family  who  had  made  himself  a 
name  would  be  readily  acknowledged  as  chief.  If  it  seems  im- 
possible to  connect  EH's  character,  as  it  appears  in  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, with  any  idea  of  heroism  and  energy,  we  must  remember 
that  when  he  is  brought  before  us  he  is  already  an  old  man. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight,  after  judging  Israel  for  forty 
years,  so  that  his  judgeship  must  have  commenced  when  he  was 
nearly  sixty  years  old,  and  he  may  naturally  have  begun  to  show 
the  ravages  of  time.  The  zeal  and  activity  of  youth  had  degene- 
rated into  apathy  and  coldness  ;  the  strenuous  efforts  which 
youthful  spirits,  animated  by  piety  and  patriotism,  had  enabled 
him  to  make,  were  perhaps  no  longer  needed,  and  he  sank  into 
a  lazy,  phlegmatic  indifference,  which  led  to  disastrous  conse- 
quences in  his  family.  Disabled  by  the  infirmities  of  age  from 
performing  all  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  had  delegated  the 
priestly  functions  to  his  sons,  retaining  in  his  own  hands  the 
judicial  business.  These  sons,  Hophni  and  Phinehas  by  name, 
by  no  means  followed  the  steps  of  their  good  father,  who,  what- 
ever were  his  shortcomings,  was  a  righteous  and  religious  man. 
They  were  licentious,  unscrupulous  reprobates,  who  prostituted 
their  high  office  to  the  basest  purposes,  and  introduced  into  the 
sanctuary  of  Shiloh  the  most  degraded  practices  of  heathendom. 
But  their  father  restrained  them  not  effectually.  Lazy,  indo- 
lent, and  indulgent,  he  satisfies  his  conscience  by  administering 
a  mild  rebuke  ;  and  though  they  were  priests  bound  to  set  an 
example  of  piety  and  purity,  and  he  as  judge  was  bound  to  carry 
out  the  denunciation  of  the  law  against  sinners,  he  visits  their 
grave  offences  with  no  punishment,  and  lets  the  scandal  continue. 
On  one  of  the  occasions  when  Elkanah  and  his  family  went 


8  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

up  to  worship  at  Shiloh  the  attention  of  Eli  was  drawn  ta 
Hannah.  It  was  at  such  times  that  Peninnah  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  openly  deriding  her  barrenness  and  vaunting  her  own 
maternity.  Elkanah  indeed  gave  his  childless  wife  larger  por- 
tions of  the  sacrificial  victims  than  he  did  to  Peninnah,  showing 
in  every  possible  way  his  affection.  But  nothing  could  compen- 
sate for  the  desired  joy  of  motherhood  ;  and  after  the  solemn 
sacrificial  meal,  which  she  had  attended,  though  she  had  little 
appetite  for  banquet  or  pleasure  in  such  festivity,  she  wended 
her  way  sadly  to  the  sanctuary  to  pour  out  her  heart  unto  God. 
Kneeling  down  in  the  inner  court,  she  prayed  unto  the  Lord  and 
wept  sore,  and  these  were  the  words  she  spake  :  "  O  Lord  of 
hosts,  if  Thou  wilt  indeed  look  on  the  affliction  of  thine  hand- 
maid, and  remember  me,  and  not  forget  thine  handmaid,  but 
wilt  give  unto  thine  handmaid  a  man  child,  then  I  will  give  him 
unto  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  there  shall  no  razor 
come  upon  his  head."  This  was  her  vow  if  her  request  was 
granted.  The  son  she  prayed  for  should  be  dedicated  to  God's 
service,  not  as  a  mere  Levite  whose  duties  commenced  from  the 
tyventy-fifth  year  and  ceased  at  the  fiftieth,'  but  all  his  days, 
from  boyhood  to  the  close  of  life.  And  more  than  this,  he 
should  be  a  perpetual  Nazirite,  his  flowing  hair,  untouched  by 
razor,  should  mark  him  out  as  set  apart  from  common  life,  and 
consecrated  to  the  Lord. 

This  institution  of  Nazirism  was  not  a  new  thing.^  Although 
we  have  no  record  of  any  Nazirite  before  Samson  who  made 
himself  a  name  in  history,  yet  it  seems  evident  that  the  obser- 
vance was  in  existence  before  the  time  of  Moses,  and  that  he 
merely  gave  it  the  sanction  of  law  and  regulated  its  practice.^ 
It  sprang  from  that  religious  zeal  which,  not  content  with  per- 
forming the  ordinary  duties  of  piety,  seeks  for  stricter  modes  of 
self-dedication,  analogous  to  what  is  known  in  the  Christian 
Church  as  "  counsels  of  perfection,"  the  endeavour  to  execute 
the  precept  of  Christ,  "  Be  ye  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  In  mediaeval  theology  the  counsels 
took  the  form  of  a  threefold  vow,  answering  to  the  threefold 
temptation  arising  from  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 
Chastity,  poverty,  and  obedience,  opposed  the  dangers  that 
threatened  the  soul  from  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the 

•  Numb.  iv.  3  ;  viii.  24,  25.       =»  Ewald,  "  History  of  Israel,"  ii.  168  ff. 
3  Numb.  vi.  2-21. 


SAMUEL'S  YOUTH.  9 

eye,  and  the  pride  of  life.  The  Nazirite  vow  was  also  threefold. 
The  devotee  was  bound  to  abstain  from  all  intoxicating  liquor, 
to  let  the  hair  grow,  and  to  avoid  all  ceremonial  defilement  by 
contact  with  a  dead  body,  even  that  of  his  nearest  relation. 
Such  a  vow  undertaken  by  parents  for  a  child  must  have  had  a 
powerful  influence  on  that  child's  career.  Separated  from 
common  life,  raised  above  his  fellows,  specially  dedicated  to 
God,  the  Nazirite  deemed  himself  designated  for  some  peculiar 
work,  and  gave  himself  up  to  this  object  as  his  chief  aim,  with- 
out distraction  or  disquieting  interests.  Thus  Samson,  though 
very  far  from  being  a  faultless  character,  pursued  one  great 
design  all  his  days.  His  sole  purpose  was  to  vex  and  harass 
the  Philistines  ;  his  life  and  death  were  devoted  to  this  single 
end.  Hannah  in  making  her  vow  (in  which,  according  to  the 
Mosaic  precept,^  her  husband  must  have  concurred)  dedicated 
her  son  to  a  life-long  service  in  the  Tabernacle  ;  but  God  had 
other  and  higher  work  for  him  than  the  discharge  of  mere 
ritual  functions.  The  unborn  child  was  destined  for  more 
extensive  and  conspicuous  labours  ;  in  him  the  Levite  should  be 
merged  in  the  Judge  and  the  Prophet. 

Long  time  did  Hannah  continue  in  prayer,  prostrate  before 
the  Lord.  From  his  chair  of  state,  placed  at  the  entrance  of 
the  court  of  the  Tabernacle,  or,  as  it  is  called  (i  Sam.  i.  9),  "the 
palace  of  Jehovah,"  Eli  marked  this  sorrowful  woman,  and, 
reasoning  doubtless  from  a  sad  experience,  misjudged  her 
harshly.  She  was  praying  silently  ;  no  words  came  from  her 
lips;  "she  spake  to  her  heart."  Such  earnest,  silent,  devotion 
was  quite  unusual.  Spoken  prayer  was  the  rule  then  as  it  is 
now  among  uncultured  people.  It  needs  great  faith  in  the 
Unseen  to  believe  that  God  hears  and  answers  the  unuttered 
aspirations  of  the  worshipper.  Men  think  that  they  shall  be 
heard  for  their  much  speaking.  Eli's  experience  had  not  led 
him  to  understand  that  prayer  could  be  offered  without  speech  ; 
and  painfully  aware  of  the  lax  morality  of  his  people,  and  the 
disorders  which  often  accompanied  the  sacrificial  feast,  he 
immediately  concluded  that  Hannah  was  drunken,  that  her 
unusual  conduct,  her  quivering  lips  from  which  no  sound  issued, 
her  streaming  eyes,  her  flushed  cheeks,  were  the  tokens  of  in- 
temperance.      Coarsely  he  calls   to   her  from  his   pontifical 

*  Numb.  XXX.  6-15. 


lO  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

throne,  and  bids  her  go  and  sleep  off  the  effects  of  her  debauch, 
and  not  to  bring  her  disgracefid  condition  under  the  very  eye  of 
the  Lord.  "How  long,"  he  cries,  "how  long  wilt  thou  be 
drunken  ?  Put  away  thy  wine  from  thee."  Hannah  was  ac- 
customed to  be  misjudged,  and  had  learned  to  be  patient  under 
injury.  Eli's  unfeeling  suspicion  does  not  anger  her.  She 
answers  calmly,  at  once  by  voice  and  manner  repelling  the 
unworthy  accusation,  while  showing  all  due  reverence  to  her 
venerable  rebuker.  "  No,  my  lord,"  she  says,  "  I  am  a  woman 
of  a  heavy  heart  ;  I  have  drunk  neither  wine  nor  strong  drink, 
but  I  poured  out  my  soul  before  the  Lord.  Count  not  thine 
handmaid  for  a  worthless  woman  ;  for  out  of  the  abundance  of 
my  complaint  and  my  provocation  have  I  spoken  hitherto."  It 
was  the  continual  cruelty  of  Peninnah  that  had  driven  her 
forth  in  sorrow  of  soul  to  commune  with  God  in  His  house. 
Eli  at  once  perceived  his  mistake,  and  retracted  the  injurious 
charge.  Nay,  more,  he  gives  her  gracious  words,  and  comforts 
her,  adding  his  own  desire  and  assurance  that  her  prayer,  what- 
ever it  may  be,  would  be  accepted  by  the  most  High.  "  Go  in 
peace,  and  the  God  of  Israel  grant  thy  petition  that  thou  hast 
asked  of  Him."  Comforted  by  these  words,  to  which  the 
dignity  of  Eli's  office  and  the  venerableness  of  his  age  gave 
weight,  and  lightened  of  her  burden  by  casting  it  down  at  the 
Lord's  feet  in  earnest  prayer,  Hannah  rose  up  and  went  on  her 
way.  She  returned  to  the  family  feast,  composed  and  cheerful, 
no  longer  sad  of  countenance,  but  ready  to  take  her  part  in  the 
solemn  festival  and  to  eat  her  portion  with  joy  and  thankfulness. 
The  celebration  of  the  festival  being  now  ended,  Elkanah  and 
his  family  rose  early  next  morning,  and  having  paid  their  devo- 
tions unto  the  Lord,  returned  to  their  home  at  Ramathaim- 
Zophim.  Hannah,  though  no  express  promise  had  been  given  to 
her,  had  confidence  in  the  general  assurance  of  God's  favour 
and  readiness  to  hear  prayer ;  she  had  arrived  nearly  at  the 
faith  taught  by  the  Lord  Jesus  in  after  time  :  "  What  things 
soever  ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  receive  them, 
and  ye  shall  have  them"  (Mark  xi.  24).  So  it  was  with  her. 
The  Lord  remembered  and  answered  her  prayer.  She  con- 
ceived and  bare  a  son,  and  in  grateful  memory  of  the  Lord's 
goodness  she  named  him  Samuel,  "  Heard  of  God."  She  had 
asked  for  a  son  with  earnest,  persevering  supplication,  and  he 
should  carry  with  him  all  his  life  the  memorial  of  the  gracious 


SAMUEL'S   YOUTH.  II 

answer  which  she  had  received.^  When  the  tune  came  round 
for  the  yearly  visit  to  Shiloh,  Elkanah  went  up  as  usual  to  offer 
the  annual  sacrifice,  and  to  pay  the  vow  which  he  had  made  in 
case  his  beloved  wife  should  be  blessed  with  a  child.  Hannah 
however  remained  at  home,  for  she  said  she  would  not  go  up 
till  the  boy  was  weaned,  when  she  would  take  him  with  her  to 
appear  before  the  Lord,  and  thenceforward  to  abide  in  His 
presence  for  ever.  The  weaning  of  children  was  delayed  till 
the  second  or  third  year.  Among  the  Persians  boys  were 
suckled  for  two  years  and  two  months,  girls  for  two  years.^  In 
2  Mace.  vii.  27  the  mother  of  the  seven  brethren  martyred  by 
Antiochus  speaks  of  having  given  her  son  suck  for  three  years  ; 
and  this  seems  to  have  been  the  usual  period  of  lactation  in 
those  days.  It  appears,  too,  that  children  were  taken  into  the 
Temple  service  at  three  years  of  age  ;  3  and  possibly  the  number 
of  victims  offered  at  Samuel's  dedication  points  to  the  same 
conclusion.  Thus  their  beloved  son  grew  up  under  his  pious 
mother's  care  in  the  peaceful  home  at  Ramah.  His  physical 
needs  were  supplied  by  her  watchful  tenderness  ;  his  spiritual 
training  was  not  neglected.  In  his  infant  soul  were  sown  the 
seeds  of  holy  thoughts  ;  from  the  dawn  of  reason  his  mind  was 
turned  to  the  Lord,  whose  gift  he  was  ;  the  child  of  prayer  was 
early  taught  to  commune  with  God.  And  his  father  co-operated 
in  all  things  with  his  mother.  Elkanah  did  not  merely 
acquiesce  in  his  wife's  vow,  but  helped  her  to  carry  it  out 
effectually  by  his  actions  and  his  prayers.  "  Do  what  seemeth 
thee  good,"  he  says  to  her  :  "  tarry  till  thou  have  weaned  him  ; 
only  the  Lord  establish  His  word,"  that  is  the  word  delivered 
by  Eli,  the  high  priest,  when  he  had  comforted  Hannah  with 
the  solemn  address,  "the  God  of  Israel  grant  thee  thy  petition." 
Tradition  says  that  some  direct  revelation  respecting  the  future 
destiny  of  Samuel  was  given.  Thus  Rashi  writes  :  *'  The  Bath- 
kol  (daughter  of  the  voice)  went  forth,  saying,  There  shall  arise 
a  just  one  whose  name  shall  be  Samuel.  Then  every  mother 
who  bore  a  son  called  him  Samuel ;  but  when  they  saw  his 
actions,  they  said,  '  This  is  not  Samuel.'     But  when  this  one 

*  Philo  {"  Quod  Deus  Immut.",  ^i  2)  interprets  the  name  to  mean, 
"appointed  for  God,"  adding,  "  Slie  liaving  received  him  restores  him  to 
the  Giver,  judging  nothing  as  a  good  belonging  to  herself  wliich  is  not  Divine 
grace." 

2  Kalisch  on  i  Sam.  i.  23.  3  See  2  Chron.  xxxi.  16. 


13  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

was  born,  they  said,  '  This  is  that  Samuel,'  and  this  is  what  the 
Scripture  means  when  it  says,  'The  Lord  confirmed  his  word  that 
Samuel  may  be  that  just  one.'  "  ^  We  need  not  accept  this 
Rabbinical  gloss,  and  Elkanah  probably  refers  only  to  what 
had  passed  between  Eli  and  Hannah,  of  which  we  have  only 
the  substance  in  our  text,  omitting  further  details  of  the 
mother's  vow  and  the  more  distinct  promise  of  its  acceptance 
and  fulfilment. 

And  now  arrived  the  time  when  the  child  should  be  openly 
dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  Sanctuary.  He  is  taken  by  his 
parents  to  Shiloh.  Once  more  Hannah  stands  before  the  Lord, 
not  empty-handed  this  time,  not  weeping  and  sorrow-stricken, 
but  rejoicing  in  heart,  filled  with  a  great  purpose,  bearing  with 
her  the  son  for  whom  she  had  poured  out  her  soul  in  prayer. 
She  comes  into  the  presence  of  Eli,  who  with  his  dim  sight 
recognizes  not  in  this  inspired  happy  countenance  the  face  of 
of  the  tearful  suppliant  whom  he  had  comforted  three  years 
ago.  "  Oh,  my  lord,"  she  cries,  "  as  thy  soul  liveth,  my  lord, 
I  am  the  woman  that  stood  by  Thee  here  praying  unto  the 
Lord.  For  this  child  I  prayed,  and  the  Lord  hath  given  me  my 
petition  which  I  asked  of  Him  ;  therefore,  also,  I  have  given 
back  what  was  asked  unto  the  Lord  ;  as  long  as  he  liveth  he  is 
asked  for  the  Lord." 

Yes,  indeed,  she  had  made  a  humble  request,  but  not  for 
herself;  she  had  prayed  for  something  which  she  might  devote 
to  the  service  of  Jehovah.  And  now  she  brings  the  long-desired 
child,  and  with  due  offerings  solemnly  dedicates  him.  Three 
bullocks  and  an  ephah  of  fine  flour  and  a  skin  of  wine  were  then 
presented  before  the  Tabernacle.  Two  of  the  animals  were 
Elkanah's  annual  sacrifice  ;  the  third  bullock  was  for  the  special 
burnt-offermg  that  accompanied  the  consecration  of  Samuel  to 
Jehovah.^  And  the  good  father  ratified  the  act,  and  himself 
with  all  his  household  worshipped  the  Lord  there. 

»  Bishop  Ellicott,  Comm.  in  loc. 

*  The  LXX.  instead  of  "three  bullocks,"  read  "a  bullock  of  three  years 
old,"  as  Gen.  xv.  9.  This  reminds  one  of  the  consecration  of  the  irregular 
priesthood  in  the  evil  days  of  Jeroboam  (2  Chron.  xiii,  9).  But  the  present 
Hebrew  text  is  probably  correct,  as  an  ephah  of  meal  was  about  the  proper 
quantity  for  the  meat-oft'ering  that  accompanied  the  sacrifice  of  three 
bullocks,  three-tenths  being  the  ordered  offering  for  one  victim  (Num. 
xxviii.  12  ff.     See  also  viii.  7  ff.) 


SAMUEL'S   YOUTH.  1 3 

This  VOW  of  Hannah,  does  it  seem  strange  to  us  and  unnatural, 
a  piece  of  needless  self-sacrifice,  the  act  of  a  bigoted  and  hard- 
natured  mother  ?  Nay,  surely,  very  far  from  that.  Hannah  was 
a  tender,  simple,  guileless  woman.  There  is  nothing  exaggerated, 
nothing  forced  in  her  character.'  All  her  impulses  are  con- 
trolled by  her  quiet  faith  and  genuine  piety.  It  is  natural  to  her 
to  testify  her  gratitude  by  the  surrender  of  what  is  dearest ;  she 
cannot  offer  to  the  Lord  of  that  which  costs  her  nothing.  The 
comfort  of  her  child's  presence  she  willingly  puts  aside  that 
she  may  make  a  worthy  offering  ;  she  foregoes  the  sweet 
endearment  of  his  love  that  she  may  express  her  thankfulness 
without  a  selfish  thought  to  mar  its  completeness.  A  vow  is  a 
high  form  of  self-surrender,  and  has  its  appointed  place  in  the 
religious  life.  If  it  was  allowed  in  concession  to  the  sentiments 
of  an  age  of  imperfect  religious  development,  it  certainly  con- 
duced to  definiteness  in  conduct  and  strictness  in  practice.  The 
great  lawgiver  saw  that  the  custom  of  making  vows  existed  and 
could  not  prudently  be  suppressed  ;  it  appealed  to  a  feeling  in- 
herent in  human  nature  ;  it  arose  from  a  principle  which  in  itself 
was  praiseworthy,  the  offering  of  the  best  to  God.  It  was  therefore 
to  be  regulated  and  modified,  not  abrogated.  The  present  was 
an  age  of  vows  ;  not  only  do  we  read  of  Samson  being  dedicated 
to  God  as  a  Nazirite  ;  there  is  the  oath  taken  in  the  Benjamite 
war  ;  there  is  Jephthah's  vow.^  Such  an  undertaking  gives  a 
conscious  strength  and  tenacity  to  a  purpose,  even  as  Hannibal 
was  inspired  to  wage  unceasing  warfare  against  Rome  by  the 
oath  which  he  took  at  the  altar  in  his  father's  presence.  The 
moral  support  of  such  a  covenant  or  promise  is  very  great ;  and 
in  a  place  and  time  where  it  was  practised  and  highly  regarded, 
God  sanctioned  the  usage,  and  deigned  to  mould  it  to  His  own 
ends.  In  the  present  case,  Hannah's  vow  co-operated  with 
God's  design  for  the  reformation  of  Israel  ;  the  voluntary  obliga- 
tion which  she  incurred  helped  to  place  in  the  required  position 
one  who,  upheld  by  his  dedication  and  consecrated  to  a  single 
purpose,  could  contribute  all  his  life  and  energies  to  executing 
a  high  mission. 

Hannah  had  marked  with  sorrow  Israel's  declension  from  the 

»  I  here  acknowledge  with  gratitude  my  obligation  to  Niemeyer's 
"  Charakteristik  der  Bibel"  for  many  hints  as  to  the  character  of  those  with 
whom  I  have  had  to  deal  in  these  biographies. 

2  Judges  xi.  30  ;  xxi.  5. 


14  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

right  path  ;  the  anarchy  and  confusion  around  her,  the  degra- 
dation of  the  priesthood,  the  absence  of  all  true  religion  in  the 
majority  of  the  nation,  had  filled  her  heart  with  poignant  regrets. 
She  saw  that  a  great  reformation  was  needed,  if  the  people  were 
to  retain  the  favour  of  God,  and  vanquish  their  enemies.  And 
to  carry  out  this  reformation  required  a  leader,  holy,  single- 
hearted,  devoted.  Such  an  one  she  hoped  to  see  in  the  son  so 
earnestly  desired,  so  wonderfully  bestowed.  He  should  be 
dedicated  to  God  all  his  life  ;  he  should  be  a  Nazirite  very 
different  from  Samson  ;  not  such  an  example  as  the  sons  of  Eli 
should  he  set ;  he  should  carry  on  the  office  of  judge  in  a 
different  spirit  from  that  which  Eli  displayed.  According  to 
Jewish  law,  every  first-born  son  belonged  to  the  Lord,  and  had 
to  be  redeemed  by  substitution.  Hannah  of  set  purpose  refused 
to  redeem  her  boy,  but  returned  him  a  living  sacrifice  to  Jeho- 
vah, that  from  his  infancy  upwards  he  might  be  known  to  be  so 
dedicated,  and  might  conciliate  men's  regard  and  win  their  reve- 
rence as  one  who  had  always  and  continuously  served  the  Lord. 

For  the  mercy  and  loving-kindness  which  the  Lord  had 
showed  unto  her,  Hannah  utters  her  thanksgiving  in  a  song 
which  reaches  far  beyond  the  occasion  which  gives  it  birth,  and 
rises  into  the  region  of  prophecy,  echoed  by  seers  in  succeeding 
ages  till  it  culminates  in  the  Magnificat  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary  when  she  celebrates  the  birth  of  the  Messiah.  The 
Christian  Church  early  caught  the  prophetic  element  in  this 
Canticle,  and  employed  it  in  public  worship  ;  it  was  sung  at 
Matins  in  the  English  office.  Attempts  have  been  made  to 
assign  this  song  to  a  later  age,  as  being,  except  in  one  allusion, 
not  particularly  applicable  to  the  circumstances  under  which  it 
is  said  to  have  been  composed,  and  as  being  more  likely  to  have 
been  produced  at  the  time  of  some  great  national  victory,  as, 
for  instance,  that  of  David  over  GoHath.  This  criticism  arises 
from  the  failure  to  recognize  the  true  character  of  such 
utterances.  They  are  never  simply  egotistical  ;  they  always  ex- 
pand from  the  particular  occasion  into  something  greater,  wider, 
the  love  and  care  of  God  for  all  His  creatures,  the  extension  of 
His  kingdom,  the  glory  of  Messiah's  reign.  As  Bishop  Words- 
worth finely  says,  speaking  of  Sacred  Poetry'  :  "  Like  a  pebble 
cast  into  a  clear  and  calm  lake,  it  sends  forth  concentric  rings 
of  waves,  ever  enlarging  towards  the  margin,  so  that  the  par- 
*  Comm.  on  i  Sam.  ii.  i. 


SAMUEL'S  YOUTH.  1 5 

ticular  mercy  to  the  individual  produces  ever-expanding  undula- 
tions of  praise."     These  songs  of  holy  women  begin  with  Sarah's 
exultation  at  the  birth  of  Isaac  (Gen.  xxi.  6,  7),  when,  in  allusion 
to  the  name  of  her  son  and  to  the  joy  which  through  his  great 
descendant  should  fill  all  the  earth,  she  cries  :  *'  God  hath  made 
me  to  laugh  ;  every  one  that  heareth  will  laugh  with  me."    This 
was  her   Magnificat.      Then  comes  the   triumphant   hymn  of 
Miriam,  after  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  and  the  victory  over 
the   Egyptians   (Exod.   xv.)     This  is  followed  by  the  Song  of 
Deborah  (Judges  v.),  who  in  fervid  poetry  praises  the  Lord  for 
the  deliverance  of  the  people  by  a  woman's  hand.     The  great 
events  which  these  women   celebrated  were  types   and  fore- 
shadowings  of  the  triumphs  of  Messiah,  and  as  such  were  dimly 
recognized  by  those  who  sung  of  them.     Of  the  same  character 
were  the  recorded  songs  of  Moses,  David,  and  Hezekiah  ;  they 
are  prophetic  and  Messianic.     Such  is  this  ode  of  Hannah's. 
She  saw  beyond  the  immediate  present,  and  in  the  mercy  dis- 
played in  her  own  case,  she  recognized  the  Divine  economy  in 
the  government  of  the  world,  and  a  promise  of  future  blessing 
not  on  individuals  only,  but  on  her  nation  also.     He  who  took 
care  of  the  poor  and  needy,  and  raised  up  the  lowly  to  high 
estate,  would  equally  protect  and  exalt  His  people  now  down- 
trodden and  sore  oppressed.     What  had  happened  to  her  was  a 
pledge  of  God's  dealing  with  Israel ;  her  own  deliverance  was  a 
type  of  the  salvation  wrought  by  God  throughout  the  world's 
history.     In  her  prophetic  spirit  she  foresaw  a  great  change  in 
the  government  of  the  chosen  people ;  the  theocracy  administered 
by  leaders  and  judges  was  to  give  place  to  a  more  settled  and 
permanent  form  of  rule.     Knowing  from  the  promises  made  to 
the  patriarchs,  and  from  many  expressions  and  stipulations  in 
the  Pentateuch,  that  Israel  was  destined  to  be  a  Kingdom,  she 
sings  of  a  King  whom  God  would  one  day  bestow  upon  His 
people,  who  should  unite  and  rule  them,  and  to  whom  the  Lord 
would  give  strength  and  success.  And  in  this  monarch  she  foresaw 
the  Lord's  Anointed,  some  one  greater  than  David  and  Solomon, 
even  the  Messiah.     She  expressed  her  confidence  in  the  realiza- 
tion of  the  promises   connected  with  royal  dominion  in  Israel, 
which  were  now  beginning  to  stir  in  the  hearts  of  the  people ; 
Out  the  Spine  who  spoke  by  her  signified  a  more  glorious  accom- 
plishment than  was  commonly  expected ;  and  we,  by  the  light  of 
later  history,  can  read  in  her  pregnant  words  intimations  of  a 


l6  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

mighty  future,  the  coming  of  King  Messiah  and  the  glories  of  His 
kingdom.  In  this  hght  the  ode  was  regarded  by  the  early  Chris- 
tian Church/  The  Fathers  generally  see  in  Hannah  a  type  of 
the  Church,  and  in  her  words  a  prophetic  announcement  of  the 
victories  of  Christ.  And  Jewish  expositors  held  the  same 
opinionj^"  which  is  further  supported  by  the  use  made  of  this 
song  by  Zechariah  and  the  Virgin  Mary  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  former  in  the  Benedidus  and  the  latter  in  the  Magnificat 
found  themselves  upon  Hannah's  Thanksgiving,  and  show  how  it 
was  regarded  by  pious  Israelites.3  Such  songs  were  preserved 
among  the  people,  handed  down  by  oral  tradition,  employed  in 
pubhc  worship,  committed  to  writing  in  course  of  time,  and  in- 
serted in  the  sacred  books  by  their  several  compilers  and  editors, 
as  worthy  expressions  of  the  religious  life,  of  the  hopes  and 
aspirations  of  the  faithful  in  Israel.  Thus  then  the  happy 
mother  sang  : — 

•'  I.  My  heart  exulteth  in  the  Lord, 
My  horn  is  exalted  in  the  Lord, 
My  mouth  is  opened  wide  over  mine  enemies. 
Because  I  rejoice  in  Thy  salvation. 
a.  There  is  none  holy  as  the  Lord  ; 
For  there  is  none  beside  Thee, 
Neither  is  there  any  rock  like  our  God. 

3.  Talk  no  more  so  exceedingly  proudly  ; 

Let  not  arrogancy  come  out  of  your  mouth  ; 
For  the  Lord  is  a  God  of  knowledge, 
And  by  Him  actions  are  weighed. 

4.  The  heroes  of  the  bow  are  confounded. 

And  they  that  stumbled  are  girded  with  strength. 

5.  They  that  were  full  have  hired  out  themselves  for  bread, 
And  they  that  were  hungry  are  at  ease  ; 

Yea,  the  barren  hath  borne  seven, 

And  she  that  hath  many  children  languisheth. 

6.  The  Lord  killeth  and  maketh  alive, 

He  bi  ingeth  down  to  the  grave,  and  He  doth  bring  up. 

7.  The  Lord  maketh  poor  and  maketh  rich, 
He  bringeth  low,  also  He  lifteth  up. 

8.  He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust, 
He  lifteth  up  the  needy  from  the  dunghill, 

»  St.  Aug.  "  De  Civit."  xxii.  4.     S.  Cypr,  "  De  Orat.  l>Dm."  140     See 
more  ap.  Corn,  a  Lap.  in  loc. 
'  See  Targ.  of  Jonathan  and  Kimchi  in  loc, 
3  Luke  i.  46  ff.  68  ff. 


SAMUEL'S  YOUTH.  IJ 

o  make  them  sit  with  princes, 
And  enjoy  the  throne  of  glory  ; 
For  the  pillars  of  the  earth  are  the  Lord's, 
And  He  hath  set  the  world  upon  them. 

9.  He  keepeth  the  feet  of  His  holy  ones, 

But  the  wicked  are  put  to  silence  in  darkness  ; 
For  not  by  strength  doth  man  prevail. 
10.  The  adversaries  of  the  Lord  are  confounded  ; 
Against  them  in  heaven  doth  He  thunder  ; 
The  Lord  judgeth  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
That  He  may  give  strength  unto  His  king, 
And  exalt  the  horn  of  His  anointed." 

Let  us  see  what  this  song  of  thanksgiving  means.  Hannah 
begins  by  expressing  the  holy  joy  that  filled  her  heart,  and  the 
strength  which  she  felt  in  the  consciousness  that  God  had  heard 
her,  and  had  changed  her  earthly  lot.  This  feeling  opened  her 
lips  in  praise,  and  constrained  her  to  utter  her  gratitude  to  the 
Lord,  to  whom  all  her  blessings  were  owed  (ver.  i).  He  alone 
is  absolutely  holy.  He  alone  lives  in  Himself,  unchangeable, 
majestic,  secure,  the  Rock,  on  whom  she  rests  in  perfect  trust 
(ver.  2).  Then  with  a  glance  at  Peninnah's  insolent  provoca- 
tion, she  bids  the  wicked  tremble  at  His  holiness,  who  knows 
and  judges  all  human  actions  (ver.  3).  See,  she  says,  the  working 
of  this  attribute  of  God  in  the  vicissitudes  of  human  events. 
Heroes  who  rejoice  in  their  strength  are  shattered  and  brought 
to  shame  ;  the  weak  and  powerless  are  made  mighty  for  battle 
(ver.  4).  The  rich  and  wealthy  become  hirelings  for  a  daily 
wage  ;  the  once  famished  cease  from  labour  and  keep  holiday. 
She  who,  like  me,  was  barren  and  bare  not,  is  blessed  with 
children  in  perfection,  and  the  fruitful  mother  pines  away  because 
she  has  lost  her  sons  and  hath  none  to  comfort  her  in  her  old 
age  (ver.  5).'  Death  and  life  are  from  the  Lord  ;  He  brings 
to  the  brink  of  the  grave  and  rescues  therefrom  at  His 
good  pleasure  (ver.  6).  Poverty  and  riches  are  at  His  disposal  ; 
He  bringeth  some  low,  He  lifteth  others  on  high  (ver.  7).  He 
raiseth  the  poor  from  the  very  dust,  and  the  needy  from  the 
lowest  degradation,  to  give  them  a  seat  among  princes,  and  to 
make  them  enjoy  the  throne  of  glory.^  And  this  He  does  be- 
cause He  is  the  Creator  and  Upholder  of  the  universe  (ver.  8). 
Therefore  the  righteous  have  nothing  to  fear.  He  guards  every 
*  Comp.  Psa.  cxiii.  2  ;  Jer.  xv.  9.  •  Comp.  Psa.  cxiii.  7,  8. 

3 


16  SAMUEL   AND    SAUL. 

Step  of  the  earthly  course  of  the  picas,  and  punisties  the  wicked 
in  the  silence  of  the  grave,  in  distress  and  calamity  ;  for  they 
had  but  natural  strength  to  rely  upon,  and  no  man  in  his  own 
power  can  meet  the  storms  of  life  (ver.  9).  All  who  contend  with 
the  Lord  are  confounded  and  sore  vexed.  Jehovah  seated  in 
heaven  utters  the  sentence,  the  voice  of  His  thunder  ;  He  judges 
the  whole  earth  to  its  remotest  quarters,  and  He  will  perfect  the 
kingdom  which  He  hath  founded  in  Israel,  raising  up  a  King  in 
His  own  good  time.  Who  shall  be  endowed  with  irresistible 
might  and  be  the  universal  Saviour  (ver.  10). 

When  the  celebration  of  the  festival  was  completed,  Elkanah 
and  his  wives  returned  to  their  home  at  Ramah,  leaving  their 
child  Samuel  behind  in  Eli's  care.  The  disturbmg  element  in 
this  pious  household  was  now  removed  ;  the  childless  wife  could 
no  longer  be  reviled  ;  her  reproach  among  women  was  at  an 
end.  So  the  quiet  home  hfe  flowed  on  ;  and  as  years  passed, 
other  children  were  born  to  Hannah ;  the  prattle  of  little 
voices  made  music  in  her  ears,  and  three  sons  and  two  daughters 
gladdened  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  parents.  A  Jewish  legend* 
with  a  kind  of  poetical  justice  in  view,  relates  how  the  birth  of 
each  of  Hannah's  children  was  accompanied  by  the  death  of  one 
of  Peninnah's  ;  but  it  would  have  been  scant  equity  thus  to 
punish  the  father  for  his  wife's  natural  exultation,  ill-natured 
though  it  was  ;  nor  can  we  conceive  that  the  good  Hannah 
would  have  felt  happiness  in  her  own  maternity,  if  it  had  brought 
such  sorrow  to  her  rival.  The  later  life  of  these  children  has  left 
no  mark  on  the  page  of  history,  and  nothing  whatever  is  known 
about  them. 

And  now  see  the  little  Samuel,  a  gentle  child  of  some  three 
years  old,  in  the  holy  house  of  Shiloh  under  the  training  of  the 
old  high  priest  and  his  assistants.  These  were  not  all  rough 
men,  of  lax  habits  and  doubtful  piety,  which  unhappily  was  the 
character  of  many  of  the  officiants  at  the  sanctuary.  There 
were  women, too,  who  had  regularduties  to  perform  in  connection 
with  the  Tabernacle ;  and  to  their  care,  doubtless,  the  boy  was 
entrusted.'  What  exactly  was  the  service  which  these  women  ren- 

*  See  I  Sam.  ii.  22:  "  The  women  that  assembled  at  the  door  of  the 
Tabernacle,''  where  the  words  ought  to  be  rendered:  "The  women  that 
did  service  at  the  door,"  &c.,  as  in  Exod.  xxxviii.  8.  The  expression  is  used 
o<  formal,  military  service,  and  would  show  that  they  had  their  office  and 
work  duly  regulated. 


SAMUEL'S    YOUTH.  1 9 

dered  is  nowhere  stated.  It  seems  plain  that  they  had  been  origi- 
nally appointed  by  Moses,  as  we  read  of  the  women  who  did  service 
at  the  Tabernacle  offering  their  mirrors  for  the  material  of  the 
great  laver  (Exod.  xxxviii.  8)  ;  and  the  institution  continued  unto 
the  destruction  of  the  Temple.  Intimations  of  this  fact  occa- 
sionally appear  in  Scripture.  Not  improbably  the  women  who 
publicly  celebrated  the  victories  of  Hebrew  heroes,  as  Barak 
and  David,  belonged  to  this  class.  To  such  there  may  be  an 
allusion  in  Psa.  Ixviii.  ii  :  "The  Lord  giveth  the  word  ;  the 
women  that  publish  the  tidings  are  a  great  host."  It  is  not  un- 
likely that  Anna  the  prophetess  was  one  of  them  ;  and  the 
widows  and  deaconesses  of  the  early  Christian  Church  may  have 
been  the  natural  successors  of  this  primitive  order.  That  they 
assisted  in  the  liturgical  portions  of  Divine  service  is  not  prob- 
able ;  their  duties  would  be  such  as  more  especially  appertained 
to  female  work  in  a  household,  the  cooking  of  the  sacrificial 
food,  the  cleansing  of  the  vessels,  the  care  of  children,  the  spin- 
ning, embroidering,  and  washing  of  the  curtains  and  hangings  of 
the  sanctuary.  We  know  that  in  after  years,  when  idolatry  was 
rife  in  the  land,  there  was  a  regular  order  of  women  who  wove 
hangings  for  the  Asherah,  the  image  of  Ashtoreth  (2  Kings 
xxiii.  7) ;  this  was  probably  a  prostitution  of  the  original  class  to 
idolatrous  purposes,  the  institution  surviving  the  change  of 
religion,  though  perverted  from  its  object.  While,  then,  the 
women  of  the  tabernacle  attended  to  the  bodily  wants  and  train- 
ing of  the  child  Samuel,  his  mental  and  religious  culture  was  no 
less  carefully  regarded  by  Eli.  If  we  may  consider  his  educa- 
tion to  have  been  conducted  on  the  same  principles  as  those 
which  obtained  in  after  time,  we  may  suppose  that  he  was  early 
taught  to  read  and  write,  was  instructed  in  the  Law,  and  learned 
the  facts  of  Jewish  history,  and  the  great  deeds  of  his  forefathers. 
Many  portions  of  the  Pentateuch  were  by  him  committed  to 
memory,  and  the  child  was  encouraged  to  ask  the  meaning  of 
the  various  celebrations  and  ordinances  which  he  witnessed  or 
in  which  he  took  part.  The  utmost  reverence  for  even  the  words 
of  the  law  was  inculcated  ;  as  Philo  says  :  ^  "  Looking  on  their 
laws  as  oracles  inspired  by  God,  and  instructed  in  them  from 
early  childhood,  the  Jews  carry  the  image  of  the  Commandments 
in  their  very  souls."  This  was  the  staple  of  the  instruction  im- 
parted, the  foundation  on  which  religion  and  morality  were 
^  "  De  Legat.  ad  Caium,"  31.  ii.  p.  577,  M. 


20  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

reared.  The  soil  in  which  this  teaching  was  to  take  root  had 
been  industriously  prepared  by  Samuel's  parents.  Chiefly  the 
pious  Hannah  had  sanctified  the  first  dawnings  of  intellect  in 
her  little  son,  and  used  those  early  receptive  years  to  good 
purpose.  Who  can  tell  the  effect  of  a  holy  mother's  training 
upon  even  an  infant's  character.-^  The  love  that  speaks  in  her 
eyes  and  controls  her  actions,  finds  its  way  to  the  child's  heart  ; 
the  look  and  voice  of  the  tender  parent  meet  with  responsive 
efforts  from  the  little  one  in  her  arms;  the  education  for  heaven 
begins  at  the  mother's  knee.  A  ready  pupil  was  the  infant 
Samuel,  and  made  no  difficulty  in  mastering  the  tasks  suitable 
to  his  age,  while  he  also  ministered  before  the  Lord,  performing 
such  duties  as  lay  in  his  capacity.  Doubtless  there  were  many 
children  and  youths  under  training  at  Shiloh,  as,  later,  Samuel 
gathered  a  school  at  Naioth  in  Ramah  ;  and  the  emulation  of 
companions,  and  the  petty  trials  of  a  common  life,  helped  to  give 
a  steadfastness  to  his  purposes,  and  promoted  the  growth  of 
forbearance,  courage,  and  unselfishness.  But  young  as  he  was 
he  was  distinguished  from  his  comrades  by  his  dress.  Being 
dedicated  to  a  life-long  service  in  the  sanctuary,  he  wore  a  linen 
ephod  like  a  priest  or  Levite,  or  one  who  took  part  in  a  religious 
service.*  The  ephod  consisted  of  two  pieces  of  white  cloth  or 
linen  hanging  from  the  neck  in  front  and  behind,  joined  together 
by  shoulder  straps,  and  confined  round  the  waist  by  a  band. 
Besides  this  dress,  Hannah,  when  she  came  with  her  husband  to 
the  annual  sacrifice,  brought  for  her  boy  "  a  little  coat,"  a  gar- 
ment reaching  to  the  feet,  like  that  worn  by  the  high  priest  under 
the  ephod,  though  of  less  costly  material  and  not  so  elaborately 
ornamented.  It  was  a  simple  frock  without  sleeves  and  with  a 
hole  for  the  head  to  pass  through,  woven  throughout  without 
seams,  as  that  for  which  the  soldiers  cast  lots  at  the  Crucifixion 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Though  surrendered  to  God's  service 
and  separated  from  his  parents,  Samuel  was  still  an  object  of 
care  to  his  mother,  and  her  loving  thoughts  were  exercised  on 
this  absent  child.  As  she  plied  her  busy  spindle  in  the  making 
of  his  "little  coat,"  her  heart  went  out  to  him  in  his  distant 
home  ;  and  she  hailed  with  joy  the  recurrence  of  the  yearly  festi- 
val which  for  a  short  interval  united  the  severed  link  in  the 
family  chain.     She  marked  his  growth,  she  tested  his  progress 

«  Comp.  2  Sam.  vi.  14,  where  David  is  thus  clad  when  dancing  before  the 
ark.    I  Chron.  xv.  27. 


SAMUEL'S  YOUTH.  21 

in  learning,  she  watched  his  temper  and  disposition  ;  and  she 
could  thank  God  that  the  child  was  preparing  for  his  high 
destiny,  and  fitting  himself  to  be  an  example  as  well  as  a  leader 
to  his  people.  And  Eli  had  great  hopes  of  this  dedicated  child  ; 
the  remarkable  manner  in  which  he  had  become  associated  with 
him  pointed  him  out  as  designed  for  some  great  purpose  ;  and 
the  old  priest  took  the  better  care  of  him,  and  attended  more 
scrupulously  to  his  training,  as  he  saw  the  evil  conduct  of  his 
own  sons,  and  recognized  with  sorrow  that  he  could  look  for  no 
worthy  successor  in  either  of  them  when  he  himself  was  called 
away.  The  conduct  of  these  sons,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  was 
indeed  a  scandal  of  the  utmost  magnitude.  They  were  profane, 
greedy,  dishonest,  profligate.  They  showed  their  evil  character 
in  many  ways.  Their  downward  course  was  plain  enough  ;  they 
had  lost  all  faith  in  God,  and  handling  holy  things  with  unholy 
hands,  they  were  given  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  and  without  a 
struggle  gratified  each  wicked  passion  as  it  arose. 

By  the  Law  of  Moses  a  certain  portion  of  the  sacrificial  offer- 
ings was  due  to  the  priests  in  lieu  of  fee,  the  remainder  of  the 
animal  being  returned  to  the  ofiferer  to  be  consumed  by  himself, 
his  family,  and  the  Levites  who  dwelt  in  the  neighbourhood 
(Deut.  xii.  12).  It  was  only  fair  that "  they  which  minister  about 
sacred  things  should  eat  of  the  things  of  the  temple,  and  they 
which  wait  upon  tne  altar  should  have  their  portion  with  the 
altar  "  (i  Cor.  ix.  13).  This  portion  of  the  peace-offerings  was 
strictly  defined,  and  might  not  be  altered  or  exceeded.  The 
legal  due,  as  we  learn  from  Lev.  vii.,  was  the  breast,  or  brisket, 
and  the  right  shoulder.  These  were  solemnly  dedicated  to  the 
Lord  (the  former  by  being  "  waved,"  that  is,  moved  repeatedly 
in  presentation  to  the  Saviour  and  Preserver  on  earth  ;  the  latter, 
by  being  "  heaved,"  or  once  lifted  up,  to  the  Intercessor  in 
heaven),  and  were  then  made  over  to  the  priests.  But  before  this 
was  done  the  fat  had  to  be  burned  upon  the  altar,  which  was  the 
appointed  way  of  consecrating  the  whole  sacrifice  ;  and  no  por- 
tion could  be  lawfully  appropriated  till  this  rite  was  performed. 
The  fat,  or  suet  (for  the  rule  referred  only  to  the  pure,  internal 
fat,  not  to  that  which  was  mixed  with  the  flesh),  was  thus  offered, 
not  simply  because  it  was  the  most  combustible  part  of  the  car- 
case, but  because  it  was  regarded  as  the  best  portion,  the  plain 
token  of  a  perfect  and  well-nourished  body.  And  as  being  God's 
share,  it  was  never  to  be  eaten  ;  upon  its  use  the  same  restric- 


22  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

tion  was  laid  as  upon  blood  (Lev.  iii.  17),  with  this  difference, 
that,  whereas  the  eating  of  blood  was  forbidden  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, the  interdict  on  the  consumption  of  fat  applied  only 
to  animals  sacrificed,  or  to  such  as  were  capable  of  being  sacri- 
ficed. Now  the  sons  of  Eli  would  not  be  restrained  by  any  law 
in  the  gratification  of  their  appetites.  They  not  only  took  their 
allotted  portion  in  an  illegal  manner,  but  they  claimed  more  than 
their  due  share.  Instead  of  waiting  until  the  sacrifice  had  been 
solemnly  dedicated  by  the  burning  of  the  fat  upon  the  altar, 
as  the  Law  ordained,  these  unscrupulous  ministers  sent  their 
servants  to  seize  the  portions  before  the  offering  was  made,  thus 
robbing  God  and  dishonouring  the  symbolical  ceremony.  Be- 
sides this,  they  plundered  the  offerer  of  what  was  indisputably 
his  own.  When  he  was  preparing  the  sacrificial  feast  from  such 
parts  of  the  animal  as  were  not  otherwise  appropriated,  Eli's 
sons  violently  took  possession  of  portions  that  were  being 
cooked.  Their  servants  came  with  the  flesh-hooks,  or  tridents, 
that  were  used  for  turning  the  sacrifices  on  the  fire  and  for  col- 
lecting fragments,  and  struck  them  into  the  pot  or  pan  in  which 
the  flesh  was  being  boiled  for  the  repast  of  the  offerer  and  his 
friends,  and  all  that  the  hook  brought  up  they  took  for  their 
masters'  use.  Such  acts  of  profanation  and  robbery  could  not 
pass  unnoticed.  The  requirements  of  the  Law  were  well  known 
to  the  people  who  frequented  the  sanctuary  ;  and  when  they  saw 
its  very  guardians  openly  disregarding  the  plainest  directions, 
and  setting  an  example  of  sacrilege,  cupidity,  and  dishonesty, 
they  were  wholly  scandalized,  their  moral  susceptibilities  were 
outraged,  and  they  "  abhorred  the  offering  of  the  Lord."  What 
hope  could  there  be  of  respect  being  paid  to  piety  and  justice  in 
the  community,  when  at  the  very  centre  of  the  religious  life  of 
the  people  was  displayed  such  gross  contempt  of  the  Law  ?  Like 
priest,  like  people.  The  iniquity  of  the  leaders  was  reflected  in 
the  conduct  of  those  who  looked  to  them  for  guidance.  We  see 
the  depth  of  degradation  to  which  the  Israelites  had  sunk  in  the 
terrible  narratives  contained  in  the  last  chapters  of  the  Book  of 
Judges.  Such  harrowing  incidents  are  the  natural  result  of  the 
impiety  and  immorality  of  the  ministers  of  the  sanctuary.  To 
their  other  sins  these  priests  added  shameful  licentiousness. 
They  introduced  into  this  holy  place  the  vices  of  obscene  heathen 
worship  ;  and  Sliiloh  saw  its  glades  and  woods  defiled  with  the 
foulest  exhibitions  of  lust   and   sensuality.     The  licensed  un- 


Samuel's  youth.  ^3 

chastity  which  commonly  was  associated  with  idol  worship,  and 
which  had  often  proved  a  temptation  to  Israel,  was  openly  prac- 
tised by  these  unworthy  priests  of  the  Lord,  who  scrupled  not  to 
lead  astray  the  very  women  who  were  dedicated  to  Divine  ser- 
vice. Their  debaucheries  found  another  opportunity  for  indul- 
gence in  the  joyful  season  of  the  vintage,  when  the  m.aidens 
assembled  together  with  singing  and  dancing.  This  happy  festi- 
val they  darkened  by  their  vices.  Now  these  crimes  were  com- 
mitted openly.  There  were  two  parties  in  Israel  at  this  time. 
The  lawless,  godless  part  of  the  community  followed  the  example 
of  these  irreclaimable  youths,  and  emulated  their  license.  But 
there  were  still  some  who  feared  the  Lord,  and  clung  to  the  good 
old  ways  of  obedience  and  reverence.  These  were  thoroughly 
scandalized  at  the  abuses  which  went  on  unchecked  in  the  very 
sanctuary.  They  come  to  Eli  as  the  representative  of  law  and 
religion  ;  they  narrate  with  righteous  anger  the  evil  conduct  of 
his  sons;  they  demand  from  him  the  condemnation  of  these 
practices  and  the  punishment  of  the  offenders.  But  their  remon- 
strances have  little  effect.  Always  cold  and  apathetic,  Eli  in  his 
old  age  is  more  than  ever  averse  from  action,  and  disposed  to  let 
things  take  their  course  without  troubling  himself  overmuch.  He 
satisfies  himself  with  a  few  words  of  warning  addressed  to  his 
sons,  but  takes  no  steps  to  repress  the  wickedness  which  was 
brought  to  his  notice.  "  Why  do  ye  such  things  ?  "  he  says,  and 
his  hoary  head  and  trembling  voice  added  emphasis  to  his  words  ; 
"  I  hear  of  your  evil  deahngs  from  all  this  people.  Nay,  my  sons ; 
for  it  is  no  good  report  that  I  hear  :  ye  make  the  Lord's  people 
to  transgress  and  to  cease  from  worshipping  before  His  house." ' 
And  then  he  quotes  an  ancient  proverb  which  might  well 
admonish  them  of  their  danger  in  thus  profaning  holy  things  : 

"  If  one  man  sin  against  another,  God  shall  judge  him  ; 
But  if  a  man  sin  against  the  Lord,  who  shall  act  as  judge  for  him  ?  " 

That  is,  in  the  case  of  wrong  between  man  and  man,  God,  as 
arbitrator,  settles  the  dispute  through  the  regular  judicial 
authorities  ;  but  when  a  man  sins  against  God,  what  power  can 
interpose.?  The  dispute  can  be  settled  only  by  the  verdict  being 
given  against  the  offender,  followed  by  his  punishment  at  the 
Lord's  hand.^  This  remonstrance,  which  indeed  took  but  low 
»  I  Sam.  ii.  24,  combining  the  Sept,  and  Syr.  reading  with  the  Hebrew. 
The  proverb  is  obscure,  but  the  interpretation  given  as  above  by  Keil 
and  Dean  Payne  Smith  seems  most  reasonable. 


V 


24  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

ground,  and  was  little  calculated  to  touch  the  conscience  of 
these  hardened  sinners,  had  no  effect.  They  had  reached  that 
terrible  condition  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  withdrawn,  and  the 
sinner  is  left  to  himself,  and  judicially  blinded.  "They 
hearkened  not  unto  the  voice  of  their  father,  because  the  Lord 
would  slay  them."  Sin  works  out  its  own  punishment  by  the 
will  of  God  ;  it  hardens  the  heart,  deafens  the  conscience,  kills 
faith,  drags  down  ever  to  lower  depths,  makes  repentance, 
except  by  miracle,  impossible.  These  are  its  natural  con- 
sequences ;  but  they  are  in  accordance  with  God's  eternal 
purpose,  in  due  subjection  to  His  moral  government  of  the 
world.  Eli's  sons  had  grown  up  in  a  degenerate  age,  and  had 
let  the  evil  tendencies  around  them  influence  their  lives  and 
characters,  while  they  themselves  in  turn  gave  a  fresh  impulse 
to  lawlessness  and  profligacy.  It  may  have  been,  according  to 
the  mysterious  law  of  heredita?'tness^  that  the  character  of  some 
evil  ancestor  was  reproduced  in  them,  and  had  not  been  modi- 
fied by  careful  training.  A  mother's  tender  guidance  and  sym- 
pathy had  perhaps  been  wanting ;  the  father's  weak  good  nature 
had  been  unable  to  control  these  turbulent  spirits ;  official  duties 
may  have  occupied  the  judge's  time  and  thoughts  ;  he  had 
omitted  to  attend  duly  to  his  domestic  duties,  had  not  watched 
the  bent  of  his  sons'  minds,  nor  selected  their  companions,  nor 
checked  the  first  beginnings  of  evil.  If  this  were  so,  what 
wonder  that  they  turned  out  sensual,  godless,  and,  acting  as 
priests  to  a  God  whom  they  knew  not,  in  whom  they  had  no 
faith,  brought  discredit  upon  religion  and  ensured  their  own 
condemnation?  It  was  indeed  necessary  that  some  serious 
check  should  be  put  upon  this  evil  state  of  things.  There  was 
no  hope  of  improving  the  material  condition  of  Israel  without 
a  corresponding  improvement  in  religion.  Reverence  had  died 
out,  the  natural  tendency  to  imitate  the  worship  and  belief  of 
surrounding  nations  was  strengthened,  and  the  power  of  de- 
fending themselves  against  enemies  was  impaired.  Such  con- 
sequences resulted  from  the  example  of  wickedness  set  in 
high  places. 

Eli  himself  had  not  been  left  without  warning.  A  man  of  God, 
a  prophet,  had  suddenly  appeared  soon  after  Samuel's  dedica- 
tion, and  before  the  wickedness  of  Hophni  and  Phinehas  had 
become  inveterate  and  hopeless,  and  sternly  denounced  the 
father's  weakness,  and  foretold  the  judgment  of  God  upon  him- 


SAMUEL*S  YOUTH.  25 

self  and  his  house.  And  thus  this  unknown  visitant  spake  : 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Did  I  reveal  Myself  unto  the  house  of 
thy  father,  Aaron,  when  they  were  in  Egypt  in  bondage  at  the 
house  of  Pharaoh  ?  And  did  I  choose  him  out  of  all  the  tribes 
of  Israel  to  be  My  priest,  to  go  up  unto  My  altar,  to  burn  in- 
cense, to  wear  the  ephod  before  Me  ?  And  did  I  give  unto  the 
house  of  thy  father  all  the  offerings  of  the  children  of  Israel 
made  by  fire  ?  Wherefore  kick  ye  at  My  sacrifice  and  at  My 
meat-offering,  which  I  have  commanded  in  My  habitation ;  and 
honourest  thy  sons  above  Me,  to  fatten  yourselves  with  the 
chiefest  of  all  the  offerings  of  Israel  My  people  ?  Therefore  the 
Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  saith,  I  said  indeed  that  thy  house,  and 
the  house  of  thy  father,  should  walk  before  Me  for  ever;  but  now 
the  Lord  saith,  This  be  far  from  Me  !  for  them  that  honour  Me 
I  will  honour,  and  they  that  despise  Me  shall  be  lightly  es- 
teemed. Behold,  the  days  come,  that  I  will  cut  off  thine  arm, 
and  the  arm  of  thy  father's  house,  that  there  shall  not  be  an  old 
man  in  thine  house.  And  thou  shalt  behold  the  affliction  of 
My  habitation  ^  in  all  the  wealth  which  God  shall  give  Israel ; 
and  there  shall  not  be  an  old  man  in  thine  house  for  ever.  Yet 
will  I  not  cut  off  every  man  of  thine  from  My  altar,  to  consume 
thine  eyes  and  to  grieve  thy  heart  ;  ^  and  the  majority  of  thy 
house  shall  die  as  men  in  the  flower  of  their  age.  And  this 
shall  be  the  sign  unto  thee,  that  shall  come  upon  thy  two  sons, 
on  Hophni  and  Phinehas :  in  one  day  they  shall  die  both  of 
them."  Thus  far  the  man  of  God  had  announced  woe  and 
punishment  to  the  house  of  Eli ;  now  he  rises  to  a  higher  strain, 
and  foretells  the  rise  of  a  faithful  priest  in  exchange  for  the 
present  evil  ministers.  The  terms  of  this  prophecy  are  very 
remarkable,  and  have  not  only  an  immediate,  but  a  future  and 
final  fulfilment.  "  I  will  raise  Me  up  a  faithful  priest,  that  shall 
do  according  to  that  which  is  in  My  heart  and  in  My  soul ;  and 
I  will  build  him  a  sure  house  ;  and  he  shall  walk  before  Mine 
Anointed  for  ever.    And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  every  one 

*  So  the  R.V.  Dr.  Payne  Smith  translates:  "narrowness  of  habita- 
tion," and  explains  this  to  mean  distress,  especially  in  domestic  relations. 
Most  commentators  consider  that  the  "  habitation"  signifies  the  tabernacle, 
the  affliction  of  which,  in  the  loss  of  the  ark  and  the  ruin  of  Shiloh,  the 
priest  should  see,  amid  all  the  blessings  which  the  people  experienced. 

'  This  is  the  marginal  rendering  of  R.  V.,  and  is  that  adopted  by  Keil 
and  Dean  Smith.  It  implies  that  there  shall  always  be  some  one  of  Eli's 
family  serving  at  the  altar,  though  in  an  inferior  capacity. 


26  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

that  is  left  in  thine  house  shall  come  and  bow  down  to  him  for 
a  piece  of  silver/  and  shall  say,  Put  me,  I  pray  thee,  into  one 
of  the  priests'  offices,  that  I  may  eat  a  morsel  of  bread."  The 
primary  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  is  found  in  the  life  and 
o'^fice  of  Samuel  ;  thus  early  was  he  designated  as  "  the  faithful 
priest."  It  is  true  that  he  was  not  of  the  family  of  Aaron,  but 
we  find  him  continually  discharging  the  sacerdotal  office  ;  and, 
as  far  as  can  be  read  in  our  Books,  the  regular  priesthood  seems 
to  have  been  in  abeyance  for  some  fifty  years  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  Shiloh  and  its  inhabitants  which  we  shall  soon  have  to 
narrate.  There  is  no  mention  of  an  Aaronic  priest  from  Eli's 
time  till  we  come  to  Ahiah,  his  great-grandson  in  the  days  of 
Saul  (i  Sam.  xiv.  3).  During  this  interval  the  regular  and 
ordained  ministrations  were  suspended,  and  Samuel,  by  special 
commission  from  God,  supplied  their  place.  To  this  extra- 
ordinary delegation  of  duty  the  prophet  refers  in  the  text.  A 
further,  but  inferior,  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  is  found  in  the 
substitution  of  the  house  of  Zadok  for  that  of  Eli  on  the  deposi- 
tion of  Abiathar  (i  Kings  ii.  27,  35),  when  Zadok  became  sole 
high-priest  and  transmitted  the  office  to  his  descendants.  For 
he  was  of  the  house  of  Eleazar,  not  of  Ithamar,  as  Eli  was,  and 
arrived  at  the  chief  dignity  both  by  force  of  character  and  by 
reason  of  the  substantial  service  which  he  rendered  to  the  State 
as  a  staunch  supporter  of  David,  and  able  to  lead  a  powerful 
contingent  to  his  assistance  (i  Chron.  xii.  26-28).  He  may 
truly  be  called  "a  faithful  priest."  But  who  does  not  see  that 
a  greater  than  Samuel  or  Zadok  is  here  ?  The  terms  used  are 
larger,  the  promises  grander,  than  any  earthly  personage  could 
satisfy.  The  mere  removal  of  the  presidency  from  one  line  to 
another  more  worthy,  the  narrowing  of  the  everlasting  priest- 
hood promised  to  the  first  Phinehas  (Num.  xxv.  12,  13)  to  one 
eminently  faithful  representative,  could  hardly  have  been  ex- 
pressed in  such  glowing  words.  We  must  look  further,  and 
see,  as  the  Jews  themselves  were  meant  to  see,  a  grander  future, 
a  Divine  Samuel,  a  Priest  who  has  superseded  the  Aaronic 
dynasty,  even  the   Messiah,  who  "  abideth  a  Priest  for  ever." 

'  Dr.  Briggs  ("  Messianic  Prophecy,"  p.  122)  considers  the  words  "and 
a  loaf  of  bread,"  found  in  the  Massoretic  text,  an  interpolation.  They  are 
"not  in  the  LXX^.,  disturb  the  rhythm,  make  the  line  too  1  »ng,  and  are 
a  premature  statement  of  that  which  comes  appropriately  in  the  climax  ol 
the  last  line." 


SAMUEL'S  YOUTH.  VJ 

Here  again  we  may  note  that  the  prophet,  as  Hannah  in 
her  Hymn,  has  in  view  the  existence  of  the  kingly  power  in 
Israel.  The  faithful  priest  is  to  walk  before  the  Lord's  Anointed 
for  ever.  If  this  announcement  meant  primarily  that  Samuel 
and  his  successors  should  preside  over  spiritual  matters  in  a 
State  governed  by  a  consecrated  monarch,  without  doubt  it 
also  pointed  to  the  Messiah  in  whom  the  regal  and  sacerdotal 
offices  were  united. 

The  fulfilment  of  some  portion  of  this  denunciation  will  be 
narrated  in  the  next  chapter.  For  if,  as  is  mostly  the  case, 
God's  threatenings  are  conditioned  by  man's  acceptance  or 
rejection  of  them,  the  warning  in  this  case  was  unheeded ;  Eli's 
apathy  and  his  sons'  continued  iniquity  brought  a  sure  result. 

.  .  .  "The  sovereign  Lord  of  souls 
Stores  in  the  dungeon  of  His  boundless  realm 
Each  bolt,  that  o'er  the  sinner  vainly  rolls, 

With  gathered  wrath  the  reprobate  to  whelm."  « 


«  Keble,  •'Christian  Year,"  Second  Sunday  in  Lent. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FIRST  REVELATION  TO  SAMUEL.      CAPTURE  AND 
RESTORATION  OF  THE  ARK. 

Life  of  Samuel  at  Shiloh — The  doom  of  Eli  revealed  to  Samuel— Samuel 
accredited  as  Prophet  ;  meaning  of  the  term — Condition  of  Israel  and 
need  of  reformation — Oppression  by  the  Philistines— Rebellion  of 
Israelites — Battle  of  Aphek — Defeat  of  Israelites — Capture  of  the  Ark — 
Death  of  Eli — Tabernacle  removed  to  Nob — Shiloh  destroyed — The 
Ark  taken  to  Ashdod — Dagon — Philistines  plagued — Ark  sent  to  Gath  ; 
to  Ekron — Divination — Propitiatory  offerings — Ark  returned  to  Is- 
raelites at  Bethshemesh  ;  placed  at  Kirjath-Jearim. 

While  the  evil  priests  were  filling  up  the  measure  of  their 
iniquity,  and  the  mutterings  of  the  coming  storm  that  was  to 
overthrow  Eli  and  his  house  were  heard  in  the  distance,  the  child 
Samuel  ministered  before  the  Lord.  Like  some  sweet  refrain  in 
a  gloomy  poem,  like  a  soft  strain  in  some  tempestuous  piece  of 
music,  the  notices  of  the  early  life  of  this  holy  boy  break  in  upon 
the  narrative  of  vice  and  weakness.  In  sharpest  contrast  stand 
forth  pure  devotion  and  unbridled  licentiousness,  the  life  of 
holiness  and  the  life  of  shame.  Lower  and  lower  in  degrada- 
tion sank  the  wicked  ministers  ;  but,  like  the  great  and  perfect 
pattern  of  holy  childhood,  "  the  child  Samuel  grew  on,  and  was 
in  favour  both  with  the  Lord,  and  also  with  men."  *  If  he  was 
not  spared  the  sight  of  vice,  the  care  of  Eli  secured  him  from 
contamination,  and  his  own  inward  purity,  fortified  by  the  grace 
of  God,  repelled  all  evil  influences.  Hophni  and  Phineas,  in 
their  priestly  robes,  profaned  the  worship  of  the  Lord  whose 
ministers  they  professed  to  be ;  Samuel,  in  his  little  white  ephod, 
*  I  Sam.  ii.  26  ;  Luke  ii.  52. 


FIRST  REVELATION  TO  SAMUEL.  29 

served  the  Lord  purely  and  reverently.  The  former  were  blindly 
hastening  to  their  awful  doom  ;  the  latter  was  preparing  himself 
for  the  great  career  that  lay  before  him.  Familiarity  with  holy 
things  bred  in  the  one  contempt  of  religion  and  practical  in- 
fidelity, and  in  the  other  strengthened  belief  in  the  unseen  and 
increased  true  devotion.  Thus,  under  Eli's  eye,  Samuel  grew 
up  "before  the  Lord,"  living  as  in  His  presence,  with  the 
thought  never  forgotten  of  Him  that  dwelt  between  the  cheru- 
bim, docile,  obedient,  gentle,  feeling  his  dedication  to  the  Lord, 
and  ratifying  it  by  daily  life  and  conduct. 

So  passed  twelve  years  ;  *  and  then,  as  in  the  life  of  our 
Blessed  Lord  at  the  same  age,  came  a  change.  In  the  general 
degeneracy  of  the  times  the  prophetic  spirit  had  long  been  little 
heard.  Ehud  had  acted  as  one  who  had  a  word  of  God  to 
announce,'  Deborah  had  celebrated  her  great  victory  with  a 
prophetic  ode,  Hannah  had  sung  of  Christ,  and  a  man  of  God 
once  and  again  had  come  with  a  stern  message  of  warning  ; 
but  "  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  precious  in  those  days,  there  was 
no  open  vision."  It  was  but  rarely  that  the  Lord  spake  by  the 
Prophets.  The  prophetic  utterance  which  had  been  promised 
as  the  exponent  of  the  will  of  heaven  ^  was  restrained  by  the 
unbelief  and  disobedience  of  the  people,  even  as  it  is  said 
of  Christ  (Matt.  xiii.  58)  :  "  He  did  not  many  mighty  works  there 
because  of  their  unbelief."  There  was  no  special  order  of  in- 
spired men  to  promulgate  the  decrees  of  God  ;  the  sins  of  the 
community  had  contracted  and  impeded  Divine  revelation,  and 
such  manifestations  as  had  been  vouchsafed  to  Abraham  and 
Moses  and  Joshua  were  known  no  longer.  This  long  silence 
was  now  to  be  broken  ;  and  the  recipient  of  the  new  communi- 
cation was  this  pious  child,  the  unstained  Nazirite,  Samuel.  He 
was  good  and  pure  and  holy,  and  his  heart  and  conscience 
recognized  the  presence  and  the  power  of  God  ;  but  of  Him  as 
a  personal  God,  as  one  who  reveals  His  will  by  external  signs, 
who  gives  commands  and  warnings  and  directions  in  some  other 
fashion  than  by  secret  influence  on  the  mind,  he  as  yet  knew 
nothing.  He  was  a  fit  instrument  to  receive  further  light,  and 
to  be  called  to  a  higher  service.  Hitherto  his  work  had  been 
divided  between  the  care  of  the  sanctuary  in  such  offices  as  were 
in  his  power,  and  attention  to  the  aged  priest  Eli,  whose  dim- 
»  Josephus,  "  Antiq."  v.  la  4.  *  Judg.  iii.  20. 

3  Deut.  xviii.  15  flf. 


30  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

ness  of  sight  and  increasing  infirmities  rendered  him  largely 
dependent  upon  others'  help.  He  had,  for  instance,  to  close 
and  open  the  doors  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  to  light  the  seven- 
branched  candelabrum,  which  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Holy  Place,  to  the  left  of  the  entrance,  and  opposite  the  table  of 
shewbread.  The  lamps  in  this  candelabrum  were  lighted  every 
evening,  and  extinguished,  trimmed  afresh,  and  supplied  with 
pure  olive  oil  every  morning.  The  High  Priest  slept  in  a 
chamber  adjoining  the  Tabernacle,  and  Samuel  had  his  resting- 
place  near  at  hand,  so  as  to  be  withm  call  if  his  infirm  friend 
needed  anythin.x  at  night.  One  night,  as  the  boy  lay  on  his 
little  bed,  and  the  i^iorning  was  about  to  break,  he  was  awakened 
by  a  voice  which  called  him  byname.  Thinking  that  Eli  wanted 
him,  he  rose  immediately  and  went  to  him,  eager  to  do  him 
service.  But  the  voice  was  not  Eli's,  and  the  old  man  sent  him 
back  to  his  chamber.  A  second  time  the  same  thing  happened, 
with  the  same  result.  But  when  the  circumstance  occurred  a 
third  time,  and  a  voice,  which  only  Samuel  heard,  again  cried, 
"  Samuel,"  Eli  saw  that  the  matter  was  supernatural.  He  had 
not  lost  his  faith  in  the  Lord's  providential  care  ;  though  he 
himself  was  not  receptive  of  Divine  revelation,  he  knew  that 
others  might  be  more  largely  blessed.  No  petty  jealousy  troubles 
the  good  old  man  ;  he  perceives  that  heaven  is  communicating 
with  his  holy  foster-child ;  and  he  bids  him  go  and  lie  down 
again  in  patient  expectation,  and,  if  the  mysterious  voice  once 
more  came  to  his  ears,  to  answer  and  say,  "  Speak,  Lord  ;  for 
Thy  servant  heareth."  And,  as  the  boy  waited  in  awe  for  what 
was  to  follow,  not  a  voice  alone  was  heard  saying,  "  Samuel, 
Samuel,"  but  a  vision,  some  objective,  presence,  offered  itself ; 
"  the  Lord  came  and  stood."  This  was  not  a  dream,  not  some- 
thing seen  as  by  a  prophet  rapt  in  a  state  of  ecstasy,  but  a  sight 
that  was  presented  to  his  waking  faculties,  either  the  Angel  of 
the  Presence  who  had  appeared  to  the  Patriarchs,  or  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  that  Moses  had  beheld  on  Sinai,  and  which  rested 
on  the  mercy-seat  in  the  Tabernacle.  From  out  of  this  myste- 
rious Something  proceeded  the  call ;  and  when  Samuel  answered 
humbly  in  the  words  which  Eli  had  put  into  his  mouth,  the  Lord 
then  announced  the  message  which  He  willed  to  make  known 
through  this  new  interpreter.  What  was  the  message  ?  One  of 
woe,  of  ruin,  to  that  gentle  and  kind  master  whom  the  boy  had 
loved  with  a  son's  devotion,  whom  he  had  invested  with  all  the 


FIRST  REVELATION  TO  SAMUEL.  3 1 

qualities  which  were  required  in  his  high  office.  What  astonish- 
ment and  pain  filled  his  soul  as  he  listened  to  the  stern  denun- 
ciation uttered  by  the  voice  Divine  in  the  silence  of  that 
memorable  night  !  "  Behold,"  was  the  word,  *'  I  do  a  thing  in 
Israel,  the  which  whosoever  heareth  both  his  ears  shall  tingle. 
In  that  day  I  will  perform  against  Eli  all  that  I  have  spoken 
concerning  his  house,  from  the  beginning  even  unto  the  end. 
For  I  have  told  him  that  I  will  judge  his  house  for  ever,  for  the 
iniquity  which  he  knew,  because  his  sons  did  bring  a  curse 
upon  themselves,  and  he  restrained  them  not.  And  therefore 
I  have  sworn  unto  the  house  of  Eli  that  the  iniquity  of  Eli's 
house  shall  not  be  expiated  with  sacrifice  nor  offering  for 
ever."  Here  was  a  terrible  secret  confided  to  an  inexperienced 
child!  Why  was  it  entrusted  to  him?  What  should  he  do  with  it? 
Doubtless  the  revelation  was  an  honour  and  a  glory,  but  it  was 
freighted  with  trouble  and  anxiety.  The  call  had  ended  his  child- 
hood. Henceforth  he  was  to  know  care,  responsibility,  anxious 
forethought.  And  now  his  holy  training  comes  to  his  aid.  What 
God  does  must  be  right.  As  he  lay  and  pondered  till  the  morn- 
ing, he  saw  somewhat  of  the  course  that  lay  before  him  ;  he  had  a 
stern  duty  to  discharge  in  the  present,  he  had  a  mighty  destiny 
in  the  future.  But  daily  offices  were  not  be  neglected,  what- 
ever might  be  the  momentous  change  in  feeling  and  circum- 
stance. At  the  usual  hour,  wearied  though  he  was  with  the 
excitement  and  wonder  of  the  vision,  he  rose,  and  opened  the 
doors  of  the  sanctuary,  and  ministered  to  his  foster-father  with 
his  wonted  tenderness.  But  he  said  nothing  of  what  had 
happened  ;  he  feared  to  inflict  a  wound  on  the  old  man  whom 
he  loved  and  reverenced.  He  was  new  to  the  prophet's  office, 
and  could  not  at  once  bring  himself  to  announce  that  which 
he  felt  would  cause  pain  and  anguish  to  the  hearer.  But  Eli's 
conscience  was  uneasy.  He  saw  that  something  which  he 
ought  to  know  was  being  hidden  from  him.  Certain  that  the 
Lord  had  in  some  way  made  a  revelation  to  Samuel,  he  had 
a  consciousness  that  the  revelation  concerned  himself,  and  he 
could  not  rest  till  it  was  fully  communicated.  "  I  pray  thee," 
he  entreats  of  the  young  seer,  "  hide  it  not  from  me.  God  do 
so  to  thee  and  more  also,  if  thou  hide  anything  from  me  of  all 
the  things  that  He  spake  unto  thee."  Thus  adjured,  Samuel 
told  him  all.  And  Eli  listened  in  silence.  The  message  that 
had  been  delivered  by  the  man  of  God  with  its  definite  de- 


32  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

tails  of  severest  punishment  had  given  opportunity  of  repent 
ance,  but  it  had  been  disregarded  or  used  to  little  purpose. 
This  fresh  denunciation,  confirming  former  threats  by  the 
mouth  of  the  child-prophet,  awoke  no  pungent  regret  in  Eli's 
heart,  startled  him  not  out  of  his  apathetic  resignation  to  the 
inevitable.  "  It  is  the  Lord,"  he  said  ;  "  let  Him  do  what  seemeth 
Him  good."  In  some  men's  mouths  such  words  would  imply 
the  highest  faith  and  trust ;  from  Eli's  lips  they  show  indeed 
submission  to  the  will  of  God,  but  it  is  the  submission  of 
one  whose  calm  temperament  takes  all  things  easily,  and  is 
greatly  moved  by  no  appeal.  In  spite  of  this  twofold  warning 
he  makes  no  determined  effort  to  reform  abuses  ;  though  a 
timely  severity  and  resolute  measures  might  avert  the  ruin  of 
his  house,  he  lets  matters  drift  on  in  the  old  groove  ;  he  has 
not  energy  sufficient  to  cope  with  the  dominant  evil ;  and 
with  a  hopeless  resignation  he  leaves  all  in  God's  hands,  pre- 
paring to  bear  with  patience  whatever  might  befall.  Hophni 
and  Phinehas,  self-willed,  obstinate,  overbearing,  had  too 
long  remained  unchecked  in  their  evil  courses,  and  now  had 
gained  the  upper  hand  over  their  weak  father  whose  feeble 
remonstrances  were  utterly  ineffectual.  A  powerful  party 
was  on  their  side.  The  idle,  the  dissolute,  the  pleasure- 
seeking,  the  free-thinking  were  their  friends  and  comrades. 
The  old  priest  had  not  the  courage  to  set  himself  against 
public  opinion  ;  he  masks  inaction  with  the  garb  of  endurance  ; 
and  powerless,  as  he  persuades  himself,  to  cure,  winks  at  the 
iniquity  in  which  he  is  involved.  "  Shall  I  not  visit  for  these 
things  ?  saith  the  Lord."  But  the  judgment  was  not  yet  to  fall ; 
a  respite  was  given,  during  which  Samuel  passes  from  youth  to 
manhood,  and  becomes  accredited  as  the  prophet  of  the 
Lord.  As  the  influence  and  reputation  of  Eli  waned,  the  fame 
of  Samuel  grew.  "  The  Lord  was  with  him."  Grown  men,  the 
regular  ministers  of  the  sanctuary,  had  proved  unfaithful ;  and 
the  Lord  raised  up  a  new  prophet  in  a  mere  child,  who  had 
shown  by  piety,  obedience,  fidelity,  an  aptitude  for  higher  gifts. 
And  these  were  granted  to  him.  Gradually  was  the  knowledge 
of  Divine  things  unfolded  to  his  perception  ;  the  preparation  of 
his  early  life  fitted  him  to  receive  further  measures  of  grace.  From 
time  to  time  the  Lord  revealed  Himself  to  the  youth,  by  visible 
presence,  by  articulate  voice,  by  secret  inspiration,  in  divers 
manners  ;  aiid  often  he  was  enabled  to  utter  words  of  wisdom^ 


FIRST   REVELATION    TO   SAMUEL.  33 

rebuke,  and  warning.  In  the  midst  of  the  open  corruption 
he  stood  forth,  pure,  upright, bold,  a  witness,  and  not  a  silent  one, 
against  the  wickedness  of  his  age.  And  all  that  he  said  had 
weight,  be  cause  all  his  words  were  fulfilled.  It  was  not  experience, 
or  foresight,  or  judgment,  that  guided  his  announcements,  but 
the  inspiration  of  God.  Israel  could  not  but  see  that  this  holy 
youth  was  directed  by  a  mighty  hand,  and  soon  learned  to 
acknowledge  his  influence,  so  that  from  Dan  to  Beersheba, 
from  north  to  south,  it  was  known  that  he  was  established  as  a 
Prophet  of  the  Lord.  Even  in  the  anarchical  and  divided 
condition  of  Israel  the  reputation  of  this  servant  of  God  spread 
abroad,  and  all  the  pious  throughout  the  country  rejoiced,  as 
one  man,  to  hear  that  God  had  thus  visited  His  people. 

Now  in  calling  Samuel  a  Prophet  the  sacred  historian  does 
not  necessarily  connote  predictive  power  in  the  person  so 
named.  The  faculty  of  foretelling  the  future  was  often  indeed, 
and  under  certain  circumstances,  bestowed  upon  the  Prophet ; 
but  it  was  not  of  the  essence  of  his  office,  and  made  but  a 
small  part  of  his  functions.  The  Prophet  is  the  mouthpiece  of 
God  ;  he  receives  certain  Divine  revelations,  and  imparts  them 
to  his  countrymen  and  to  those  unto  whom  his  commission  ex- 
tends. The  gifts  which  he  receives  are  not  for  his  selfish  exal- 
tation or  edification,  but  for  the  good  of  the  community.  His 
call  to  the  office  is  inward,  depending  on  the  Divine  choice  and 
his  own  receptivity.  The  Spirit  of  Jehovah  rests  upon  him, 
gives  him  a  message,  and  enables  him  to  utter  it.  The  counsels 
of  the  Lord  are  so  far  made  known  to  him,  and  he  has  to  pub- 
lish this  mystery  abroad,  whether  the  people  hearken  or  not. 
The  full  consciousness  of  this  inner  call  encourages  him  in  the 
execution  of  the  commission,  elevates  his  moral  faculties,  and 
makes  him  a  ready  and  eager  recipient  of  further  revelations. 
No  mere  soothsayer  or  oracle-monger,  but  an  apostle  of  righ- 
teousness,^ he  reproves,  rebukes,  and  exhorts  ;  he  enforces  his 
lessons  by  reference  to  the  past,  he  warns  and  confirms  his 
message  by  foreshadowing  the  future.  The  enlightenment  be- 
stowed by  the  Lord  enables  him  to  take  a  spiritual  view  of 
things  present  and  things  to  come  ;  he  sees  the  inner  side  of 
events  of  which  other  men  note  only  the  external  circumstances, 
and  he  is  thus  empowered  to  offer  wise  counsel  and  to  obviate 

»  Ladd,  "  Doctr.  of  Script.,"!.  132. 

4 


34  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

unexpected  results.  But  these  effects  are  not  the  product  of 
human  genius  or  prudence  or  experience,  but  the  outcome  of 
communion  with  heaven  and  a  word  from  God.  Such  was  the 
inspiration  of  Samuel.  And  his  call  to  the  prophetic  office 
carried  other  functions  with  it.  It  was  this  special  commission 
which  authorized  him  in  after  time,  amid  the  degeneracy  of  the 
priesthood  and  its  practical  extinction,  to  offer  sacrifice  and  to 
maintain  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  It  was  no  intrusion  into  the 
sacerdotal  office  when  he  performed  those  ministerial  duties  ; 
he  held  an  extraordinary  commission  from  the  Lord,  who  con- 
tinued at  intervals  to  appear  to  him  in  Shiloh.  How  far  he  was 
conscious  at  this  time  of  the  great  part  he  had  to  play,  we  can- 
not tell ;  doubtless,  the  certainty  dawned  upon  him  gradually. 
As  the  revelations  became  more  frequent  and  impressive,  there 
grew  up  in  his  soul  the  conviction  that,  as  a  thorough  reforma- 
tion was  needed,  so  he  was  destined  to  be  the  reformer,  and  to 
guide  the  important  movement.  A  great  crisis  was  approach- 
ing. If  Israel  was  to  retain  its  possessions,  and  take  its  proper 
position  among  nations,  it  must  offer  a  solid  front  to  enemies, 
it  must  be  one  in  religion,  interests,  policy.  Of  late  years 
matters  had  tended  only  to  disintegration.  No  one  tribe  had 
arrived  at  undisputed  pre-eminence ;  the  most  powerful  cities 
were  practically  independent,  and  isolation  had  become  the 
rule  throughout  most  of  the  country.  After  the  death  of  Joshua 
the  government  of  the  land  was  not  directed  by  any  one  man, 
but  was  administered  by  the  elders,  being  representatives  from 
all  the  tribes  and  assembling  at  some  central  spot,  as  Shechem. 
Here  they  consulted  together,  and  hence  they  sent  to  ask  the 
advice  of  the  High  Priest,  who  alone  could  have  recourse  to  the 
oracle  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  The  importance  of  this 
latter  functionary  was  very  great,  and  on  his  character  and 
energy  the  morals  of  the  nation  and  the  conduct  of  public  affairs 
greatly  depended.  But  when  the  national  unity  was  loosened, 
and  selfish  independence  took  the  place  of  patriotic  feeling,  the 
power  of  the  elders  sank  into  insignificance,  and  the  decadence 
of  religion  and  morality  marked  the  fall  of  priestly  influence. 
In  the  time  of  the  Judges  there  was  no  longer  any  community 
of  sentiment  in  the  land  ;  the  tribes  were  simply  self-governing 
bodies,  which  held  their  ground  as  best  they  could,  either  ab- 
sorbing the  native  populations  or  repressing  them  with  the 
strong  hand,  or  in  turn  falling  themselves  into  subjection  to  the 


FIRST  REVELATION  TO  SAMUEL.  35 

inhabitants  whom  they  had  failed  to  dispossess.  The  mutual 
jealousy  between  some  of  the  tribes  likewise  tended  to  relax  the 
national  unity.  The  disintegration  was  further  increased  by 
the  attachment  felt  by  each  family  and  collection  of  families  to 
their  own  settlements,  with  the  private  aims  and  interests  which 
appertained  to  them.  Becoming  an  agricultural  people,  Israel 
merged  the  national  welfare  in  the  security  of  its  own  individual 
possessions,  and  thought  more  of  saving  stock,  crops,  and  pro- 
duce when  threatened  by  some  local  incursion  than  of  com- 
bining to  resist  dangers  which  affected  the  existence  of  the 
whole  nation.  The  Judges  were  dictators  raised  up  to  meet 
some  great  emergency  in  a  particular  district,  and  their  influence 
was  confined  to  this  locality.  When  the  crisis  was  over,  they 
returned  to  their  old  occupations  ;  the  troops  which  they  had 
commanded,  and  which  had  put  themselves  voluntarily  under 
their  orders,  went  home  ;  and  neither  Judge  nor  people  gave 
themselves  any  concern  about  the  public  welfare.  The  Judge 
had  no  governing  or  administrative  authority,  the  people  at- 
tended only  to  their  private  interests.  It  needed  some  formid- 
able combination  of  perilous  circumstances  to  unite  Israel  into 
one  solid  community.  This  crisis  arrived  in  the  days  of  Samuel, 
though  it  is  impossible  to  affix  to  it  an  exact  date.  In  the  East 
the  Ammonites  held  rule,  and  now  the  Philistines,  for  a  long 
time  quiet  dwellers  on  the  sea-coast,  strengthened  by  fresh 
migrations  from  Crete,  and  eager  for  new  conquests,  had 
proved  their  superiority  and  were  preparing  to  make  themselves 
masters  of  the  whole  country.  The  spasmodic  efforts  of  Sam- 
son, whose  activity  synchronizes  with  the  later  days  of  Eli,  had 
no  lasting  effect,  and  merely  checked  for  a  time  and  in  one 
locality  the  advance  of  the  enemy.  The  Philistines  had  won 
the  supremacy,  and  now  the  central  Israelites,  oppressed  and 
humiliated,  resolved  to  rise  and  throw  off  the  yoke. 

It  has  seemed  to  some  commentators  that  it  was  by  Samuel's  ad- 
vice that  this  insurrection,  which  proved  so  disastrous,  was  made. 
They  suppose  that  the  opening  words  of  the  fourth  chapter 
("And  the  word  of  Samuel  came  to  all  Israel"),  which  imme- 
diately precede  the  account  of  the  conflict,  imply  that  Samuel 
counselled  the  expedition,  and  was  the  cause  of  this  unsuc- 
cessful war.  Sanguine  of  the  result,  thirsting  to  restore  the 
nation  to  independence,  and  not  recognizing  that  a  moral  refor- 
mation must  precede  the  appeal  to  arms,  Samuel,  it  is  thought, 


9^ 


36  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

urged  the  leaders  to  undertake  this  movement,  and  with  mistaken 
zeal  called  them  to  attempt  the  deliverance  of  the  people.  But 
there  is  no  good  reason  for  attributing  this  blunder  to  the  young 
prophet.  The  words  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  chapter  are 
to  be  connected  with  the  preceding  chapter,  as  is  done  in  the 
Revised  Version,  and  must  be  considered  as  carrying  on  the 
account  of  God's  dealings  with  Samuel,  and  as  having  no 
immediate  connection  with  what  follows. 

From  the  wording  of  the  narrative  in  the  Hebrew  text  ("  Israel 
went  out  against  the  Philistines  to  battle"),  it  is  implied  that  the 
Israelites  were  the  aggressors  on  this  occasion,  and  rose  suddenly 
against  their  oppressors.  It  was  an  ill-advised  and  ill-conducted 
effort,  and  was  unlikely  to  be  crowned  with  success.  We  hear 
nothing  of  the  Lord  being  consulted  before  the  rising  took  place, 
nothing  of  prayer  or  sacrifice  being  offered  as  a  prelude  to  the 
undertaking.  Exasperated  by  their  servile  condition,  and  seeing 
in  the  prophetic  spirit  of  Samuel  a  presumption  that  the  Lord  was 
visiting  them,  perhaps  animated  by  the  news  of  one  of  Samson's 
raids,  and  trusting  entirely  to  the  arm  of  the  flesh,  they  gathered 
their  forces,  and  encamped  near  to  that  spot  which,  in  memory 
of  a  victory  to  be  hereafter  recorded,  is  called  Ebenezer, 
*'  Stone  of  help."  The  Philistines  were  close  at  hand,  posted 
at  a  place  named  Aphek,  "  Fortress."  As  there  were  many 
places  of  this  name,  it  is  difficult  to  fix  upon  the  exact  position 
of  this  one  ;  but  it  was  near  Ebenezer,  the  site  of  which  is  care- 
fully defined  (i  Sam.  vii.  12)  as  being  between  Mizpah  and 
Shen.  The  former  which,  in  the  First  Book  of  Maccabees  (ch. 
iii,  46)  under  the  name  of  Maspha,  is  described  as  situated  over 
against  Jerusalem,  has  been  identified  by  Dr.  Robinson '  with 
Neby  Samwil,  a  most  conspicuous  hill  some  five  miles  north  of 
Jerusalem.  Shen,  or  Ha-Shen,  is  probably  the  modern  Deir 
Yesin,  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  Aphek  may  be  repre- 
sented by  the  Wady  Fukin,  six  miles  west  of  Bethlehem  ; '  but 
this  seems  rather  too  much  to  the  south.  Of  the  details  of  the 
battle  which  ensued  we  know  nothing.  Its  results  were  mo- 
mentous. First  of  all,  the  Israelites  suffered  a  heavy  defeat, 
leaving  four  thousand  men  dead  "  in  the  field,"  that  is,  in  the 
open  country  where  they  had  fought.  This  was  felt  to  be  a 
serious  blow  ;  and  on  returning  to  the  camp  the  chiefs  held  a 

«  "  Biblical  Researches,"  ii.  144  ;  ed.  1841. 
■  Henderson,  "  Palestine,"  179. 


CAPTURE   AND   RESTORATION  OF  THE  ARK.  37 

council  of  war  to  consider  the  cause  of  the  calamity  and  the 
best  means  of  remedying  it.  They  had  time  for  deliberation 
and  were  in  no  immediate  danger,  as  their  encampment  was 
entrenched,  and  their  communications  were  still  open.  Neithei 
Samuel  nor  Eli's  sons  were  with  them,  and  the  deliberation  lay 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  elders.  They  seem  to  have  made 
sure  of  victory,  and  were  utterly  surprised  that  their  enemies 
had  prevailed.  They  feel  that  this  could  have  happened  only 
because  God  had  withdrawn  His  help  from  them.  How  were  they 
to  secure  His  aid  in  the  future  ?  Obviously  any  prophet  of  the 
Lord,  any  pious  Israelite  who  knew  what  true  religion  demanded, 
would  have  counselled  them  to  atone  for  past  neglect  by  re- 
pentance and  confession.  National  apostasy  should  have  been 
remedied  by  national  penitence  ;  but  no  thought  of  this  nature 
crossed  their  mind  ;  they  never  attempted  to  gain  the  favour  of 
God  by  this  proceeding.  They  had  lost  all  real  piety,  and  in 
its  place  had  learned  a  fetishism,  a  superstitious  regard  for  holy 
things,  which  was  alien  from  true  religion,  and  had  no  effect  on 
heart  or  conscience.  In  place  of  appealing  to  the  Lord  in  His 
covenant  relation,  as  pledged  to  support  them  when  they  turned 
to  Him  with  all  their  heart,  and  put  away  the  evil  from 
among  them,  they  thought  only  of  employing  the  symbol  of 
Jehovah's  presence  as  a  charm  or  talisman.  "  Let  us,"  the 
elders  say,  "  let  us  fetch  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  out 
of  Shiloh  unto  us,  that  //  may  come  among  us,  and  save  us  out  of 
the  hand  of  our  enemies."  They  remembered  how  the  Jordan 
had  fled  before  the  ark,  and  left  a  way  for  the  people  to  pass 
over  dry-shod  ;  they  remembered  how  the  walls  of  Jericho  had 
fallen  down  as  the  ark  was  carried  round  them ;  they  recalled 
many  a  triumph  won  in  its  face  ;  and  they  misused  the  history 
of  these  wonders  to  delude  themselves  into  the  idea  that  the 
Lord's  presence  was  so  inseparably  united  to  this  material 
symbol  that  He  would  always  give  success  to  those  who  pos- 
sessed it,  and  that  by  putting  it  in  jeopardy  they  could  compel 
Him,  as  it  were,  to  come  to  their  rescue.  But  if  this  were  so, 
what  would  become  of  God's  moral  government  of  the  world .? 
Were  they  to  constrain  Him  to  side  with  them  without  regard 
to  their  fitness  for  His  favour  ?  Should  God  sanction  this 
trust  in  the  externals  of  religion  where  there  was  no  conformity 
to  His  will,  no  turning  from  unrighteousness  ?  The  histories  to 
which  they  referred  were  true  enough,  but  they  recognized  not 


38  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

their  real  bearing,  had  wholly  forgotten  their  spiritual  signifi- 
cance.    From  this  delusion  they  were  rudely  awakened. 

The  people  sent  to  Shiloh,  which  was  not  far  distant,  and 
bade  the  ministers,  whose  duty  it  was,  to  bring  to  the  camp  "the 
ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  which  dwelleth  between 
the  cherubim."  Thus  they  describe  the  holy  coffer  in  the 
message,  showing  the  reason  why  they  fetched  it,  and  what  they 
hoped  from  its  presence.  Here  was  the  visible  seat  of  the  King 
of  Israel,  and  He  would  vindicate  its  inviolability.  Now  would 
be  realized  the  full  import  of  the  old  battle-hymn  which  rose  to 
heaven  when  the  ark  was  moved  :  '*  Rise  up,  O  Lord,  and  let 
Thine  enemies  be  scattered,  and  let  them  that  hate  Thee  flee 
from  Thee"  (Num.  x.  35).  Duly,  with  all  outward  regard  to 
ordained  precedent,  borne  by  the  appointed  Levites,  and  accom- 
panied by  the  two  priests,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  the  holy 
symbol  was  removed  from  the  tabernacle  and  brought  to  the 
camp  near  Aphek.  Such  a  sight  had  never  been  witnessed 
since  the  Israelites  had  occupied  Canaan.  The  enthusiasm  of 
the  people  was  raised  to  the  highest  pitch  by  its  appearance  ; 
their  superstitious  feeling  was  highly  excited  ;  the  great  talis- 
man was  in  their  midst,  and  they  "  shouted  with  a  great  shout, 
so  that  the  earth  rang  again."  The  Philistines  heard  these  cries 
of  exultation,  saw  the  general  commotion  in  the  hostile  camp, 
and  sent  scouts  to  find  out  what  was  the  cause  of  this  tumult. 
And  when  they  understood  that  the  mysterious  ark  had  been 
brought  from  its  sanctuary,  they  were  struck  with  terror,  and 
their  hearts  sank  within  them.  This  was  a  superstition  which 
appealed  forcibly  to  them,  into  which  they  could  readily  enter. 
These  Hebrews,'  these  strangers  from. a  distant  land,  had  now 
among  them  their  "  mighty  gods  "  ;  who  could  withstand  them  ? 
These  are  the  gods  that  smote  the  Egyptians  with  every  sort  of 
plague  in  the  wilderness.  Confusing  the  true  history,  and  in 
their  vague  traditions  mingling  the  judgments  in  Egypt  and  the 
miracles  in  the  desert,  the  Philistines  increase  their  apprehen- 
sion by  the  memory  of  the  past.  The  heavenly  powers  had 
often  ere  now  stricken  the  enemies  of  Israel;  the  gods  whom 
the  Israelites  worshipped  were  mighty,  and  could  not  be 
resisted  ;  where  these  deities  were,  there  was  victory.  Of  one 
supreme  almighty  God  of  all  the  earth  they  had  no  conception. 

«  z  Sam.  iv.  6,  7. 


CAPTURE  AND   RESTORATION  OF   THE  ARK.  39 

They  attributed  to  the  Israelites  a  pluraVity  of  divinities 
owning  that  they  had  proved  themselves  powerful  to  protect 
their  votaries,  and  fearing  for  the  result  in  their  own  case. 
It  was,  in  their  eyes,  a  conflict  between  the  gods  of  the  two 
nations,  and  they  had  every  reason  to  dread  the  issue.  But, 
as  is  often  the  case,  their  very  despair  inspired  them  with 
courage.  Whatever  might  be  the  peril,  they  would  not  yield 
without  a  blow.  Their  rude  nature,  indeed,  regarding  as 
terrific  all  that  was  secret  and  not  understood,  might  tremble 
lest  their  cherished  Dagon  should  prove  inferior  in  power  to 
the  symbol  which  had  wrought  such  wonders  in  former  time ; 
but  with  dogged  courage  they  resolved  to  put  the  question  to 
the  proof.  In  language,  with  which  St.  Paul  has  made  us 
familiar  in  his  animating  address  to  the  Corinthian  Church,' 
they  exhort  one  another  to  do  valiantly  :  "  Be  strong,  and 
quit  yourselves  like  men,  O  ye  Philistines,  that  ye  be  not 
servants  unto  the  Hebrews,  as  they  have  been  to  you  ;  quit 
yourselves  like  men,  and  fight."  Thus  down  the  ages  passed 
the  tradition  of  these  words,  remembered  in  connection  with 
the  momentous  events  that  followed.  For  fighting  with  the 
energy  of  despair,  the  Philistines  gained  a  complete  victory ; 
they  defeated  the  Israelites  in  the  field,  put  them  to  ig- 
nominious flight,  stormed  their  camp,  and  slew  of  them  thirty 
thousand  men.  In  vain  had  the  Israelites  made  a  stand 
round  the  ark,  in  vain  had  the  ministers  offered  their  lives  in  its 
defence.  Hophni  and  Phinehas  themselves  were  slain  according 
to  the  saying  of  the  man  of  God,  and  the  sacred  ark  was  taken  by 
the  heathen.  Never  had  such  a  calamity  befallen  the  people 
since  they  left  Egypt.  That  holy  memorial,  made  expressly 
at  the  Lord's  command  by  the  hands  of  their  great  prophet, 
Moses,  which  had  led  them  through  all  their  wanderings  in 
the  wilderness,  guided  them  to  victory,  enshrined  the  Presence 
of  Jehovah,  was  lost.  What  did  this  fact  mean  ?  It  implied 
that  God's  favour  was  withdrawn,  that  the  sins  of  priests  and 
people  had  separated  between  them  and  God,  that  they  could 
no  longer  look  to  Him  for  help  whom  they  had  wilfully  forsaken 
and  outraged.  Their  glory  had  departed  ;  their  political  inde- 
pendence was  in  jeopardy  ;  hopeless  servitude  was  their  future 
destiny. 

«  z  Cor  xyi.  13. 


40  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

Ill  news  flies  apace.  On  the  very  evening  of  the  defeat 
intelligence  of  the  grievous  calamity  reached  Shiloh.  A  fleet 
runner,  a  Benjamite  (whom  an  ancient  but  ungrounded  tradi- 
tion identifies  with  Saul),  rushed  into  the  town  with  his  clothes 
rent  and  with  earth  upon  his  head  in  token  of  unspeakable 
grief  The  sight  was  premonitory  ;  the  tale  was  soon  told.  A 
cry  rose  up  from  the  affrighted  inhabitants,  the  women's  shrill 
shriek  was  heard  throughout  the  streets,  mingled  with  the  noisy 
demonstrations  of  the  men's  grief.  The  fatal  news  fell  like  a 
word  of  death  upon  the  whole  community,  and  the  passionate 
sorrow  found  expression  in  tears,  and  cries,  and  groans.  The 
aged  Eli  sat  on  his  throne  at  the  entrance  of  the  sanctuary  by 
the  side  of  the  way  that  led  to  the  watch  tower.  Here,  sur- 
rounded by  the  priests  and  Levites,he  was  waiting  in  deep  anxiety 
for  tidings.  The  account  of  these  events  is  minute  and  graphic, 
written  doubtless  by  Samuel,  who  was  still  in  attendance  on 
his  aged  foster-father,  now  completely  blind,  and  ninety-eight 
years  old.  Eli  heard  the  noise  of  the  tumult  in  the  town,  and 
asked  of  some  bystanders  what  it  meant .''  The  ark  had 
been  taken  from  its  abiding  place,  if  not  without  his  consent, 
certainly  against  his  better  judgment,  and  without  the  express 
command  of  God.  He  knew  better  than  to  put  trust  in  the  lifeless 
symbol ;  he  was  conscious  that  the  sins  of  priests  and  people 
had  forfeited  God's  favour,  and  he  trembled  to  '  ;ar  the  result  of 
the  conflict.  The  messenger  came  up  to  him.  The  blind  old 
man  could  not  see  the  rent  garment  and  the  ashes  on  the  head, 
the  fixed  stare  of  his  sightless  eyes  was  unaffected  by  light,  but 
he  asked  to  hear  the  woful  news.  The  answer  gave  him 
his  death-blow.  "  I  am  he,"  said  the  Benjamite,  "  that  came 
out  of  the  army,  and  I  fled  to-day  out  of  the  army."  And  to 
Eli's  anxious  question,  "  How  went  the  matter  ?  "  he  replied 
with  a  terse  and  startling  climax  :  "  Israel  is  fled  before  the 
Philistines,  and  there  hath  been  also  a  great  slaughter  among 
the  people,  and  thy  two  sons,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  are  dead, 
and  the  ark  of  God  is  taken."  It  was  too  much.  The  weak  old 
man  could  bear  to  hear  of  the  defeat  of  his  people  ;  he  was 
resigned  even  to  his  own  private  sorrow,  the  blow  that  deprived 
him  of  the  sons  loved  only  too  well :  but  to  hear  that  the  sacred 
symbol  of  Jehovah's  presence,  entrusted  to  his  special  care,  was 
in  the  hands  of  heathens  and  lost  to  the  chosen  nation,  broke 
his  heart.     He  was  sitting  on  his  pontifical  throne,  a  seat  with 


CAPTURE  AND   RESTORATION   OF  THE  ARK.  4I 

out  a  back,  and  when  he  heard  of  this  last  crushing  calamity, 
he  fell  backwards' in  a  deadly  faint  or  fit,  and  his  neck  brake, 
and  he  died.  Nor  was  this  all.  Another  horror  marked  this 
fatal  day.  The  news  of  these  sad  events  reached  the  wife  of 
Phinehas,  and  brought  on  a  premature  delivery.  But  amid  the 
pains  of  childbirth  one  fact  alone  makes  itself  heard.  Not  the 
fall  of  her  husband,  not  the  sudden  death  of  her  father-in-law, 
absorbed  her  grieving  soul.  It  was  anguish  to  her  greater  than 
her  own  bereavement,  more  intense  than  the  labour-throes,  to 
know  that  the  emblem  of  God's  presence  was  carried  away,  the 
covenant  broken,  the  Lord's  face  turned  from  His  people.  By- 
standers cheered  her  in  her  safe  deliverance ;  they  told  her  of  a  son 
born  to  comfort  her  in  her  widowhood.  She  finds  no  solace  there. 
She  answered  not,  neither  did  she  regard  it.  A  mother's 
natural  joy  was  swallowed  up  in  grief  at  the  national  calamity. 
For  a  minute  she  uttered  no  word  to  the  attending  women;  and 
then  rousing  herself,  as  she  felt  that  life  was  leaving  her,  she 
spake  her  last  command,  and  this  referred  to  the  naming  of  the 
child  and  her  own  estimate  of  the  awful  crisis.  "  Call  him," 
she  gasped,  "  call  him  Ichabod,  No-glory,  for  the  glory  is 
departed  from  Israel."  No  more  pathetic  story  is  told  in  the 
sacred  pages,  the  simple  narrative  touches  the  deepest  chords  of 
the  heart,  and  rouses  responsive  sympathy.  And  it  has  another 
and  instructive ->.pect ;  it  shows  that  amid  the  gross  corruption 
of  the  age,  there  were  to  be  found  in  isolated  instances  true  and 
earnest  piety,  and  a  high  appreciation  of  the  covenant  with  the 
Lord.  Some  still  were  left  in  Israel  to  mourn  for  the  national 
declension,  and  to  see  that  the  only  safety  was  in  holding  fast 
by  God.  The  wife  of  this  iniquitous  priest,  pure  amid  corrup- 
tion, was  a  type  of  the  little  band  of  faithful  patriots  who  pre- 
served unshaken  their  faith  in  the  covenant  Lord  and 
endeavoured  to  carry  out  His  requirements. 

When  the  funeral  obsequies  of  Eli  and  the  wife  of  Phinehas 
had  been  performed,  and  the  consternation  had  somewhat  sub- 
sided, it  was  judged  expedient  to  take  measures  for  the  security 
of  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  furniture  and  ornaments  apper- 
taining thereto.  The  ark,  indeed,  was  lost ;  but  there  were  left 
many  valuable  adjuncts  which  were  endeared  by  consecration, 
antiquity,  and  memorial  use.  Such  were  the  hangings  and  cur- 
tains, the  great  brazen  altar  of  sacrifice  which  had  been  made 
in  the  wilderness,  the  altar  of  incense,  the  laver,  the  table  of 


42  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

shewbread,  the  golden  candlestick.  Besides  these,  there  were 
minor  articles  of  great  price  used  in  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  ; 
there  were  priests'  vestments,  musical  instruments,  and  written 
records.  It  was  necessary  that  all  these  things  should  be  im- 
mediately conveyed  to  a  place  of  safety  before  the  Philistines 
reached  Shiloh.  That  they  would  pursue  their  advantage 
seemed  highly  probable,  and  it  was  only  wise  to  take  proper 
precautions.  What  part  the  young  Samuel,  now  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  played  in  these  proceedings  we  know  not.  Too 
young  to  take  the  leadership,  he  doubtless  offered  his  divinely- 
guided  advice,  and  assisted  with  all  his  energy  in  executing  the 
plan  suggested.  The  Tabernacle,  with  all  its  fittings  and  the 
national  records  which  were  stored  up  there,  was  removed  to 
some  neighbouring  spot  where  it  would  be  secure  from  molesta- 
tion. If  danger  threatened  it  was  again  taken  away,  and  after 
various  changes  it  was  finally  settled  at  Nob,  a  spot  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  Jerusalem,  by  some^  identified  with  the 
northern  summit  of  Mount  Olivet,  by  others  ^  with  the  Mizpah 
in  Benjamin,  whither,  in  later  times,  Samuel  convened  an 
assembly  of  the  people.  Here  it  is  found,  many  years  later,  in 
the  days  of  Saul  (i  Sam.  xxi.  i).  In  losing  the  ark  it  was 
deprived  of  its  chief  glory,  and  was  no  longer  regarded  as  the 
only  locality  where  sacrifice  could  lawfully  be  offered.  In  ab- 
normal times  strict  rules  are  relaxed  ;  nor  does  God  so  bind 
men  to  an  exact  obedience  of  ritual  ordinances  that  they  cannot 
claim  His  promises  unless  they  carry  out  impracticable  direc- 
tions. Other  spots  were  holy  ;  altars  were  raised  in  Ramah, 
Mizpah,  Gilgal ;  but  where  the  Tabernacle  was  pitched  a  certain 
portion  of  the  priesthood  made  their  abode,  and  maintained  a 
mutilated  worship,  shorn  indeed  of  its  chief  honour,  yet  existing 
as  a  kind  of  protest  against  profanity  and  forgetfulness  of  God. 
Separated  from  that  which  it  was  intended  to  enshrine,  it  never 
again  attained  to  aught  but  a  traditional  sanctity,  and  the 
awfulness  that  surrounded  it  was  rather  historical  than  actual. 

The  Tabernacle  was  no  sooner  removed,  and  with  its  ministers 
concealed  in  some  place  of  safety,  than  the  threatened  storm 
burst.  The  Philistines,  elated  with  their  unexpected  success, 
and  convinced  that  their  gods  were  more  powerful  than  those  of 

*  Stanley,  "Sinai  and  Palestine,"  187. 

"  Conder,  "Memoirs,"  iii.  151.  "Palestine Quarterly  Statement,''  18751 
P-  37. 


CAPTURE  AND  RESTORATION    OF  THE   ARK.  43 

Israel,  marched  at  once  upon  Shiloh.  No  defence  was  offered. 
Disheartened  and  dispersed  the  Israelites  attempted  no  resist- 
ance. Though  the  sacred  historian  gives  no  particulars  of  the 
onslaught,  we  know  from  incidental  references  that  the  town 
was  plundered  and  demolished,  and  the  inhabitants,  young  and 
old,  were  cruelly  butchered.  The  terrible  destruction  that 
then  befell  Shiloh  was  never  forgotten,  and  long  served 
to  point  a  moral.  "Go  ye  now,"  cries  Jeremiah  (chap.  vii. 
12),  "unto  My  place  which  was  in  Shiloh,  where  I  caused 
My  name  to  dwell  at  the  first,  and  see  what  I  did  to  it  for 
the  wickedness  of  My  people  Israel."  And  the  Psalmist, 
referring  to  Israel's  defection  and  the  calamities  consequent 
thereupon,  says  : 

••  When  God  heard  this,  He  was  wroth, 
And  greatly  abhorred  Israel : 
So  that  He  forsook  the  tabernacle  of  Shiloh, 
The  tent  which  He  pitched  among  men  ; 
And  delivered  His  strength  into  captivity, 
And  His  glory  into  the  adversary's  hand. 
He  gave  His  people  over  also  unto  the  sword, 
And  was  wroth  with  His  inheritance. 
Fire  devoured  their  young  men  ; 

And  their  maidens  were  not  praised  in  the  marriage  song. 
Their  priests  fell  by  the  sword, 
And  their  widows  made  no  lamentation.''  * 

The  silence  of  desolation  brooded  over  the  place  once  vocal 
with  the  praises  of  Jehovah  and  cheerful  with  the  hum  of 
thronging  multitudes.  In  those  deserted  streets  the  nuptial  song 
was  heard  no  more,  and  the  funeral  wail  was  not  uplifted.  The 
stillness  of  the  grave  was  there.  From  its  ruins  it  never  rose 
again  to  any  importance,  so  that  it  was  passed  over  by  Jeroboam 
when  he  was  selecting  his  idolatrous  sanctuaries. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  Shiloh  ;  what  had  become  of  the  Ark  ?^ 
It  was  the  prize  of  the  victors  ;  what  would  they  do  with  it .'' 
How  would  they  treat  it  ?  In  the  eyes  of  these  idolaters  there 
had  been  a  trial  of  strength  between  the  heavenly  powers  which 

«  Psa.  Ixxviii.  59  if. 

■  According  to  neologian  critics,  who  are  free  from  reverent  prejudices, 
and  are  wiser  than  the  sacred  writers,  the  ark  was  a  wooden  box  containing 
a  meteoric  stone,  which  was  supposed  to  be  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's 
presence. 


44  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

supported  either  side.  They  had  taken  their  gods  with  them 
to  battle,  and  the  IsraeHtes  had  opposed  to  them  their  own 
divinities.  The  result  had  proved  the  superiority  of  the  local 
gods,  and  Israel,  as  they  believed,  was  deprived  of  heavenly 
protection.  Now,  eager  to  secure  the  fruits  of  their  victory  and 
to  dispose  of  their  plunder,  they  withdrew  their  forces,  and  with 
exultation  and  triumph  they  carried  the  ark  from  the  battle- 
field of  Aphek  to  the  great  city  Ashdod,  or  Azotus,  as  it  is 
called  in  Acts  viii.  40.  This  was  one  of  the  five  chief  towns  of 
their  country.  It  lay  on  the  sea  coast  in  those  days,  though  its 
modern  representative,  Esdud,  owing  to  the  encroachment  of 
the  sand,  is  now  three  miles  from  the  shore,  and  bids  fair  to 
be  entirely  overwhelmed  in  a  few  years'  time.  It  is  situated  on 
a  low  circular  hill,  a  little  south  of  west  from  Jerusalem,  from 
which  it  is  some  thirty  miles  distant.  The  strength  of  its  posi- 
tion is  denoted  by  its  name,  which  means  "  the  mighty,"  and  is 
confirmed  by  the  resistance  which  it  offered  to  Psammetichus, 
king  of  Egypt,  B.C.  635,  who  besieged  it  unsuccessfully  for 
twenty-nine  years.^  The  presiding  deity  of  this  city  was  Dagon, 
who  was  worshipped  by  the  Philistines  as  the  emblem  of  fertility, 
or  the  generative  power,  as  the  Canaanites  adored  in  Baal  the 
same  force.  He  is  represented  in  his  images  as  having  the  head 
and  arms  of  a  man  with  the  body  of  a  fish.  Inscriptions,  dating 
from  2000  B.C.,  containing  his  name,  have  been  found  at  Ur. 
From  Babylon  his  worship  spread  into  other  parts  of  Asia  ;  in 
Assyria  he  was  adored  as  the  Fish-god,  and  the  priests  devoted 
to  his  service  wore  garments  made  offish-skins.  In  one  of  his 
inscriptions  Nebuchadnezzar  mentions  that  he  dedicated  some 
ornaments  for  a  temple  of  Dagon.^  Such  a  divinity  may  have 
been  connected  with  maritime  enterprise,  and  would  naturally 
be  honoured  in  a  maritime  city  as  Ashdod.  His  wife  was 
Atergatis  or  Derketo,  who  by  some  is  identified  with  Astarte, 
and  who  had  a  temple  at  Askelon.3  Regarding  the  late  victory 
as  the  triumph  of  their  tutelary  deity,  the  Philistines  desired  to 
mark  this  great  fact  by  some  plain  exhibition  ;  so,  to  show  the 
inferiority  of  Jehovah,  and  to  make  the  God  of  the  Hebrews 
pay  homage  to  their  god,  they  placed  the  ark  in  the  temple  of 
Dagon.  Such  a  custom  was  not  unknown  among  the  Assyrians. 

'  Herod   ii.  157.  '  Rodvvell,  "  Records  of  the  Past,"  v.  117. 

3  Schrader,  "  Keiliiisch."  85,  86  ;   Vigouroux,  "  La   Bible  et  les  ddcouv 
mod."  iii.  427,  ed.  4  ;  2  Mace.  xii.  26. 


CAPTURE  AND   RESTORATION   OF  THE  ARK.  45 

Thus,  Tiglath-Pileser  I.,  who  reigned  about  this  time  and  ex- 
tended his  conquests  from  Babylon  to  Lebanon  and  the  Mediter- 
ranean, mentions  in  his  records  how  he  carried  off  as  trophies 
from  Kirhi  and  other  districts  in  the  north  twenty-five  images 
of  the  gods,  which  he  placed  in  the  temple  of  Sala,  the  wife  of 
Assur.  He  adds  :  "  I  have  dedicated  them  to  the  gods  of  my 
country,  to  Anu,  Bir,  and  Istar,  in  my  city  of  El-Assur."*  Simi- 
larly, on  another  occasion,  attributing  the  capture  of  Samson  to 
the  intervention  of  heaven,  the  Philistines  brought  the  blind 
giant  into  Dagon's  temple  at  Gaza  to  triumph  over  him  in  their 
idol's  presence.  And  when  Saul  and  his  sons  fell  in  the  fatal 
battle  of  Gilboa,  they  sent  to  publish  the  news  in  the  house  of 
their  idols,  and  put  the  dead  king's  armour  in  the  temple  of 
Ashtaroth.'  In  the  present  case  matters  turned  out  in  a  very 
different  way  from  what  the  Philistines  expected.  They  bad 
indeed  conquered  Israel,  but  they  had  not  vanquished  Israel's 
Lord  ;  and  they  were  to  have  a  practical  proof  of  the  nothing- 
ness of  their  idol ;  they  were  to  suffer  the  greatest  humiliation 
that  could  be  offered.  In  the  interests  of  true  religion  it  was 
necessary  that  Jehovah  should  assert  Himself,  and  that  the 
vauntings  of  heathendom  and  its  false  conclusions  should 
receive  a  significant  check.  They  were  to  learn  that  Israel's 
Lord  was  above  all  gods  ;  no  mere  local  divinity,  but  sole 
monarch  of  heaven  and  earth.  The  sacred  ark,  with  shouts  and 
acclamations,  is  brought  within  the  gloomy  temple  and  placed 
beside  the  image  of  their  god.  The  priests  perform  the  cus- 
tomary rites,  secure  the  doors,  and  leave  it  there  for  the  night. 
On  opening  the  doors  in  the  morning,  they  behold  a  strange 
and  horrifying  sight.  Prostrate  before  the  ark,  like  a  suppliant 
before  a  king,  or  a  captive  crouching  at  his  conqueror's  feet, 
Dagon  lay.  The  image  had  fallen  on  its  face  to  the  earth  before 
the  holy  coffer.  Unwilling  to  accept  the  evil  omen,  and  deter- 
mining to  see  nothing  supernatural  in  the  untoward  event,  they 
endeavour  to  regard  it  as  an  accident.  They  raise  Dagon  from 
the  ground,  restore  him  to  his  pedestal,  and  secure  him  there. 
As  Isaiah  says  (chap.  xlvi.  7):  "They  bear  him  upon  the 
shoulder,  they  carry  him,  and  set  him  in  his  place,  and  he 
standeth ;  from  his  place  shall  he  not  remove  :  yea,  one  shall 
cry  unto  him,  yet  can  he  not  answer,  nor  save  him  out  of  his 

'  Vigouroux,  iii.  426.  »  i  Sam.  xxxi.  8-10 ;  Judg.  xvi.  23,  24, 


46  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

trouble/'  And  still  more  appositely,  Baruch  (chap.  vi.  27)  ; 
"  They  also  that  serve  them  [idols]  are  ashamed  :  for  if  they 
fall  to  the  ground  at  any  time,  they  cannot  rise  up  again  of  them- 
selves ;  neither,  if  one  set  them  upright,  can  they  move  of 
themselves  ;  neither,  if  they  be  bowed  down,  can  they  make 
themselves  straight."  With  some  apprehensions  which  they 
could  not  disguise  from  themselves  the  priests,  on  the  following 
morning,  opened  the  doors  of  the  temple,  and  beheld  a  new 
prodigy  which  they  could  no  longer  reckon  as  a  mere  accident. 
Not  only  was  their  idol  again  dashed  to  the  ground  before  the 
ark,  but  was  also  horribly  mutilated.  The  head  and  arms  of 
the  figure  were  severed  from  the  body,  and  found  lying  on  the 
threshold  where  any  profane  foot  might  tread  upon  them,  and 
the  only  part  left  whole  was  the  fish's  tail  with  which  the  figure 
ended,  as  though  it  was  meant  to  impress  on  these  idolaters 
that  their  god  had  falsely  assumed  the  human  head,  the  emblem 
of  reason,  and  the  human  hands,  the  emblems  of  activity,  and 
now  deprived  of  them  was  exhibited  in  his  true  ugliness  and 
impotence,  a  mis-shapen  fish.^  How  deep  was  the  impression 
made  by  this  circumstance  we  learn  from  a  custom  which  took 
its  rise  from  hence  and  continued  to  very  late  times.  From 
that  day  forward  no  priest  or  worshipper  who  entered  Dagon's 
temple  would  ever  tread  upon  the  door-sill,  lest  he  should 
profane  with  his  feet  the  place  where  the  fragments  of  the 
god  had  lain.'  Though  constrained  to  acknowledge  the  dis- 
comfiture of  their  divinity  in  the  presence  of  the  superior  power 
of  Jehovah,  the  Philistines  did  not  swerve  from  their  allegiance. 
Dagon  was  their  national  god,  and  must  be  worshipped  all  the 
more  sedulously  for  the  misfortune  that  had  befallen  him.  He, 
in  their  view,  was  capable  of  very  human  passions,  and  with 
petty  mahce  might  resent  any  slight  cast  upon  him.  The 
destruction  of  his  image  did  not  involve  the  abrogation  of  his 
worship  or  distrust  in  his  protecting  power  ;  what  happened  to 
his  representation  did  not  personally  afTect  them  ;  they  had 
won  a  great  victory  with  his  assistance  ;   the  damage  to  the 

■  Dean  Payne  Smith  on  i  Sam.  v.  3. 

»  It  is  usual  among  commentators  to  refer  to  Zeph.  i.  9  :  "In  that  day  I 
will  punish  all  those  that  leap  over  the  threshold,"  as  an  evidence  of  the 
permanence  of  the  custom  ;  but  a  close  consideration  of  the  passage  and  its 
context  will  show  that  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  Philistines'  idolatrous 
practices. 


CAPTURE  AND   RESTORATION   OF  THE  ARK.  47 

idol  could  easily  be  repaired  ;  and  if  the  God  of  Israel  could 
do  no  more  for  His  people  than  overthrow  this  image,  the> 
might  rest  content  and  satisfy  themselves  with  their  late  success. 
Thus  they  reasoned  in  their  blind  and  ignorant  hearts.  They 
were  to  have  a  rude  awakening  from  their  false  peace,  and  were 
to  feel  God's  power  in  their  own  persons  and  possessions. 
They  removed  the  ark  from  the  temple,  but  it  carried  a  malign 
influence  for  them  wherever  it  was  placed.  In  the  city  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  was  heavy  upon  the  inhabitants,  and  they  and 
their  neighbours  perished  in  great  numbers.  What  was  the 
plague  which  smote  them  is  not  clear.  The  word  rendered 
"  emerods  "  {i.e.,  hemorrhoids)  in  our  version  means  tumours  or 
swellings,  and  the  disease  may  have  been  ulcers  or  one  of  those 
loathsome  skin  diseases  for  which  Egypt  was  notorious.  Aquila 
translates,  "  cancerous  sores ;''  Josephus,  "  dysentery."  Herodo- 
tus recounts  (i.  105)  a  tradition  that  the  Scythians,  having 
pillaged  a  temple  of  the  celestial  Aphrodite  at  Askalon,  were 
punished  by  the  infliction  of  some  mysterious  disease,  which 
may  possibly  have  been  of  the  same  nature  as  the  one  in  ques- 
tion. The  words  of  the  Jewish  historian  referring  to  these 
events  are  these  :  *  "  Shortly  afterwards  divine  Providence 
visited  the  city  of  Azotus  and  its  neighbourhood  with  a  pesti- 
lence. The  people  died  of  dysentery,  a  most  painful  disease, 
and  one  that  occasioned  untold  agonies  before  they  were  re- 
lieved by  death  ;  for  their  bowels  rotted,  and  they  vomited  up 
the  victuals  which  they  had  eaten  undigested  and  corrupted. 
Besides  this,  swarms  of  mice  springing,  as  it  were,  out  of  the 
earth,  destroyed  everything  that  grew,  sparing  neither  tree  nor 
produce  of  any  kind."  The  plague  of  mice  is  not  distinctly 
mentioned  here  as  attacking  the  fields  of  Ashdod,  but  the  Sep- 
tuagint  adds  the  information,  and  the  fact  may  be  safely  inferred, 
both  from  the  wording  of  chap.  v.  6,  which  implies  that  the  country 
was  made  desolate  by  a  diminution  of  the  means  of  subsistence,'' 
and  from  the  expiatory  offerings  sent  to  appease  the  offended 
God  of  Israel,  among  which  were  included  "images  of  the  mice 
that  mar  the  land."  These  were  offered  not  simply  as  symbols 
of  pestilence,  as  they  are  found  in  hieroglyphics,  and  are  men- 
tioned under  this  character  by  Herodotus  (ii.  141),  but,  like  the 
"  emerods,"  as  actually  representing  the  plague  from  which  the 

*  Josephus,  "  Antiq,,"  i.  6.  i.  '  Keil,  in  loc. 


48  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

people  suffered.  That  this  was  a  very  serious  infliction  we 
learn  from  many  ancient  authors  ;  modern  writers  also  have 
given  striking  pictures  of  this  plague.  Thus,  Van  Lennep 
says  :  ^  "  The  short-tailed  field-mouse,  as  he  is  called  by  natu- 
ralists, abounds  throughout  Western  Asia,  and  must  be  endowed 
with  great  powers  of  increase,  for  he  has  many  enemies.  The 
owl  is  after  him  by  night,  and  by  day  the  hawk,  with  other 
birds  of  prey,  flutters  in  the  sky,  and  comes  down  with  a 
swoop,  and  carries  him  off  to  his  nest,  while  the  indefatigable 
little  ferret  creeps  into  his  hole,  successfully  encountering  him, 
and  destroying  his  little  ones;  yet  he  seems  in  nowise  dimin- 
ished. You  see  him  in  all  the  arable  lands,  running  across  the 
fields,  industriously  carrying  off  the  grain  to  stow  it  away  for 
the  winter,  chirping  gaily  from  time  to  time,  sitting  up  on  his 
haunches  to  get  a  good  sight  of  you  as  you  approach,  and  then 
suddenly  diving  into  his  hole.  This  animal  is  apt  so  greatly  to 
multiply  as  at  times  to  cause  a  sensible  diminution  of  the  crops, 
and  its  ravages  are  more  generally  dreaded  than  those  of  the 
mole.  A  perfectly  trustworthy  friend  has  informed  us  that  in 
1863,  being  on  the  farm  of  an  acquaintance  in  Western  Asia 
Minor,  he  saw  about  noon  the  depredations  committed  by  an 
immense  number  of  these  mice,  which  passed  over  the  ground 
like  an  army  of  young  locusts.  Fields  of  standing  corn  and 
barley  disappeared  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  ;  and  as 
for  vines  and  mulberry  trees,  they  were  gnawed  at  the  roots  and 
speedily  prostrated.  The  annual  produce  of  a  farm,  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which  promised  to  be  unusually  large, 
was  then  utterly  consumed ;  and  the  neighbouring  farms 
suffered  equally." 

Connecting  the  calamities  that  had  befallen  them  with  the 
presence  of  the  ark,  and  feeling  the  hand  of  Jehovah  upon 
them,  the  Ashdodites  are  eager  to  get  rid  of  this  mysterious 
talisman,  and  thus  to  free  themselves  from  its  evil  powers. 
They  are  emphatic  in  their  determination.  *'The  ark  of  the 
God  of  Israel  shall  not  abide  with  us,"  they  cry  ;  "  for  His 
hand  is  sore  upon  us  and  upon  Dagon  our  god."  But  this 
national  trophy  could  not  be  so  easily  disposed  of.  The 
government  of  Philistia  was  in  the  hands  of  a  federal  council, 
composed  of  the  head  of  each  of  the  five   confederate  cities. 

«  "  Bible  Lands  and  Customs."  281;. 


CAPTURE  AND  RESTORATION   OF  THE  ARK.  49 

Nothing  could  be  done  without  their  sanction.  The  Ashdodites 
lay  their  case  before  these  lords,  at  the  same  time  expressing 
their  decision  no  longer  to  harbour  this  pestiferous  symbol. 
The  lords  unwilling  to  believe  what  the  people  suggested,  and 
very  loath  to  part  with  this  significant  token  of  victory,  resolve 
to  temporize.  Either  the  ark  was  in  no  way  connected  with 
the  present  distress,  or  the  Ashdodites  were  themselves  for  some 
reason  especially  hateful  to  Jehovah,  or  the  god  of  that  locality 
was  weaker  than  the  god  of  Israel.  Under  different  circum- 
stances, and  in  another  place,  these  untoward  events  would  not 
happen.  So  they  sent  the  ark  to  Gath  where  there  was  no 
temple  of  Dagon.  This  famous  city  lay  about  twelve  miles 
south-east  of  Ashdod,  and  therefore  nearer  to  the  confines 
of  Israel.  Its  actual  site  is  still  undetermined.  Dr.  Thom- 
son ^  places  it  at  Beit  Jibrin,  which  he  considers  to  be  the 
ancient  Eleutheropolis,  near  to  which  are  some  heaps  of 
ancient  rubbish  now  called  Khurbet  Get,  "ruins  of  Gath."  Dr. 
Porter,  followed  by  the  Palestine  Exploration  "  Memoirs,"  ^ 
identifies  it  with  the  remarkable  conical  hill  named  Tell  es 
Safi,  which  guards  the  entrance  of  the  valley  of  Elah,  and  must 
have  been  a  place  of  importance  at  all  times.  Rising  in  isolated 
grandeur  from  the  valley,  this  hill  forms  a  natural  fortress, 
which  is  inaccessible  on  the  north  and  west,  where  it  presents 
a  white  precipice  of  many  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  is 
capable  of  easy  defence  on  the  other  sides.  To  this  city  the 
ark  was  conveyed  in  the  hope  of  breaking  the  spell  which  had 
seemed  too  potent  at  Ashdod.  But  the  same  disasters  ac- 
companied it  still.  The  inhabitants  were  immediately  afflicted 
with  a  loathsome  disease,  and  perished  in  great  numbers. 

"  He  smote  His  adversaries  backwards  ; 
He  put  them  to  a  perpetual  reproach  '"  (Psa.  Ixxviii.  66). 

Still  untaught  by  bitter  experience,  the  Philistines  pass  on 
the  ark  to  a  third  of  their  confederate  cities,  Ekron,  some 
twelve  miles  north-east  of  Ashdod,  and  nine  from  the  sea. 
This  place,  now  called  Akir  ("  barren  "),  is  thus  mentioned  by 
Dr.  Robinson  :  3  Akir  Hes  on  the  rise   of  land  on  the   north- 

'  "Land  and  Book,"  564. 
Pp.  415,  416.     Dr.  Geikie,   "  Holy  Land  and  Bible,"  thinks  the  identi- 
fication with  Tell  es  Safi  probable,  vol.  i.  ii8. 
3  "  Researches,"  iii.  23. 

5 


50  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

western  side  of  the  Wady  Rubin,  and  as  we  drew  near,  the 
path  led  through  well-tilled  gardens  and  fields  of  the  richest 
soil,  all  upon  the  low  tract,  covered  with  vegetables  and  fruits 
of  great  variety  and  high  perfection.  .  .  .  That  city  was  the 
northernmost  of  the  five  cities  of  the  lords  of  the  Philistines, 
and  was  situated  upon  the  northern  border  of  Judah  ;  while  the 
other  four  cities  lay  within  the  territory  of  that  tribe  (Josh.  xiii. 
3  ;  XV.  1 1,  47).  Eusebius  and  Jerome  describe  it  as  a  village  of 
Jews  between  Azotus  and  Jamnia  (Yebna)  towards  the  east ; 
that  is  to  say,  to  the  eastward  of  a  right  line  between  those 
places  ;  and  such  is  the  actual  position  of  Akir  relative  to 
Esdud  and  Yebna  at  the  present  day."  Located  at  Ekron,  the 
ark  was  more  pernicious  to  the  inhabitants  than  even  at  Ashdod 
and  Gath.  The  worshippers  of  Baalzebub'  fared  worse  than  the 
worshippers  of  Dagon  ;  every  fresh  removal  brought  aug- 
mented penalties  on  the  hapless  natives.  It  was  only  natural 
that  the  Ekronites  should  protest  against  the  presence  of  this 
fatal  gift,  and  cry  in  dismay  :  "They  have  brought  about  the  ark 
of  the  God  of  Israel  to  us,  to  slay  us  and  our  people."  They 
were  clamorous  that  it  should  be  sent  away,  convinced  that  it 
was  connected  with  or  the  cause  of  their  plague.  So  they 
urged  the  lords  to  convene  a  council,  and  to  consider  how  best 
to  get  rid  of  the  pest,  and  to  remit  it  to  its  own  place  ;  "  for 
there  was  deadly  dismay  throughout  all  the  city  ;  the  hand  of 
God  was  very  heavy  there.  And  the  men  that  died  not  were 
smitten  with  emerods  ;  and  the  cry  of  the  city  went  up  to 
heaven."  Yet  in  spite  of  these  adverse  circumstances,  the 
princes  were  very  loath  to  lose  the  great  trophy  of  their  victory, 
and  thus  virtually  to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Jehovah. 
This  mysterious  chest  was  theirs  by  right  of  conquest ;  stored 
in  their  temple  it  was  a  perpetual  token  of  triumph,  and  com- 
pensated for  many  a  year  of  defeat  and  humiliation.  But  in 
face  of  the  general  protest  they  did  not  dare  to  retain  it  on 
their  own  responsibility,  and  most  reluctantly  they  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  must  be  returned  to  the  Israelites.  The  only 
question  that  remained  was  in  what  manner  the  restoration  was 
to  be  made.  They  therefore  consulted  the  priests  and  diviners 
on  this  matter.  It  is  plain  that  they  knew  very  little  about  the 
religion  ot  the  Hebrews,  and  had  conceived  very  false  and  un- 

*  See  2  Kings  i.  2. 


CAPTURE  AND  RESTORATION  OF  THE  ARK.  5 1 

worthy  notions  of  the  God  of  Israel.  The  Jews  were  not  a 
proselytizing  nation,  aud  had  nothing  of  the  missionary  spirit 
of  the  Christian  Church.  The  Philistines  could  live  in  their 
immediate  neighbourhood  for  centuries,  and  yet  be  almost 
wholly  unacquainted  with  their  religious  tenets  and  worship, 
and  possess  but  a  very  inaccurate  knowledge  of  their  past 
history.  Priests  and  diviners  always  play  an  important  part  in 
the  solution  of  difficulties  such  as  were  perplexing  the  Philistine 
lords.  Thus  Pharaoh,  astounded  at  the  miracles  of  Moses  and 
Aaron,  called  the  wise  men  or  sorcerers  to  his  aid  ;  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, puzzled  by  his  mysterious  dream,  summoned  the 
magicians,  the  astrologers,  the  sorcerers,  and  the  Chaldeans  to 
reveal  it  to  him.  Three  modes  of  divination  are  mentioned  by 
Ezekiel  (chap.  xxi.  21,  22),  and  these  seem  to  have  been  common 
to  many  Eastern  nations,  and  in  corrupt  times  to  have  been 
adopted  by  the  Israelites  from  their  neighbours.  The  first  was 
what  the  Greeks  called  belomdntia^  divination  by  arrows.  This 
was  effected  in  various  ways.  Sometimes  an  arrow  was  shot 
into  the  air,  and  an  omen  was  taken  from  the  direction  in  which 
it  fell  ;  sometimes  names  were  written  on  the  arrows,  which 
were  then  consigned  to  a  quiver,  and  one  of  them  was  drawn 
forth  by  a  person  blindfolded.  A  third  method  is  mentioned 
as  common  among  the  Arabian  tribes  :  Mn  one  vessel  three 
arrows  were  placed  ;  on  one  was  written,  "My  god  orders  me;'' 
on  another,  "  My  god  forbids  me  ; "  the  third  was  left  without 
any  inscription.  They  were  shaken  till  one  fell  out ;  if  it  was 
the  one  first  mentioned,  the  thing  was  to  be  done ;  if  it  was  the 
second,  the  thing  was  to  be  avoided ;  but  if  it  was  the  unin- 
scribed  arrow  that  came  forth,  the  three  were  again  shaken 
together  till  one  of  the  others  fell  out.  Another  mode  of 
divination  was  by  Teraphim,  images,  which  were  supposed  to 
give  oracular  responses.  A  third  mode  was  the  inspection  of 
the  entrails  and  liver  of  sacrificed  animals.  There  were  many 
other  methods  practised,  by  which  guidance  in  a  crisis  or  the 
knowledge  of  the  future  was  sought  to  be  obtained.  But  these 
need  not  here  he  described.  The  soothsayers,  consulted  on  this 
occasion,  gave  an  answer,  which,  while  it  claims  supernatural 
authority  for  its  commands,  is  careful  to  fall  in  with  the  popular 
feeling.    They  direct  that  the  ark  is  to  be  restored  to  its 

«  "Speaker's  Commentary  "  on  Ezek.  xxi.  21. 


52  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

owners,  and  enforce  this  injunction  by  a  reference  to  the  past 
history  of  the  Israelites  :  "Wherefore  do  ye  harden  your  hearts, 
as  the  Egyptians  and  Pharaoh  hardened  their  hearts  ?  When 
He  had  wrought  wonderfully  among  them,  did  they  not  let  the 
people  go,  and  they  departed  ?  "  As  if  they  meant  to  infer  that 
more  plagues  were  in  store  for  them,  unless  they  took  warning 
by  what  had  already  happened.  They  add  directions  for  the 
propitiation  of  the  offended  deity,  whom  now  for  the  first  time 
they  recognize  by  His  name  Jehovah.^  A  trespass-offering  was 
to  be  returned  in  acknowledgment  of  their  guilt  in  originally 
removing  the  ark,  if  so  be  (which  was  still  open  to  doubt)  the 
calamities  were  connected  therewith.  The  trespass-offering  was 
to  consist  of  articles  corresponding  in  number  to  the  cities  and 
lords  of  the  Philistines,  viz.,  five  golden  "emerods"  and  five 
golden  mice,  figures  in  precious  metals  of  the  plagues  which 
had  affected  their  bodies  and  marred  their  fields.  But  the  im- 
pression made  upon  the  inhabitants  was  so  deep  and  so  general 
that  they  did  more  than  was  directed.  Every  little  village  sent 
its  offering,  lest  any  backwardness  in  making  due  reparation 
might  be  visited  by  some  new  chastisement,  and  the  number  of 
golden  mice  far  exceeded  the  specified  amount."*  The  peculiar 
nature  of  this  offering  was  in  some  respects  analogous  to  a  custom 
widely  spread  among  heathen  nations,  and  adopted  in  the 
Christian  Church,  and  practised  unto  this  day.  The  custom 
was  this  :  to  dedicate  in  a  temple  an  offering  which  represented 
or  expressed  a  particular  mercy  received  in  answer  to  prayer. 
Instances  of  the  practice  are  numerous.  Thus  sailors  saved  from 
shipwreck  offered  pictures  or  their  garments  ;  3  sufferers  relieved 
from  diseases  dedicated  likenesses  of  the  diseased  parts  ;  and 
Theodoret*  mentions  that  Christians  in  the  fourth  century  were 
wont  to  offer  in  their  churches  gold  or  silver  hands,  feet,  eyes,  in 
return  for  cures  effected  in  these  members  in  answer  to  prayer. 
The  custom  obtains  to  this  day  in  Eastern  countries.*    These 

«  I  Sam.  vi.  2  :  "  The  ark  of  the  Lord,"  i.e.  Jehovah. 
•  I  Sam.  vi.  18. 

3  Horat,,  "Carm.",  i.  5,  13  fF.  Virg.,  "  JEn.'\  xii.  766  f.  Juven., 
"Sat.",  X.  55.     Cic,  "  De  Nat.  Deor.",  iii.  37,  89. 

4  iv.  321,  ed.  Schulze. 

5  Burder,  "Orient.  Customs,"  i.  223.  A  curious  Carthaginian  monu- 
ment of  a  rehgious  character  represents  two  rats  with  an  open  hand  between 
them.    See  Vigouroux,  iii.  p.  434. 


CAPTURE  AND  RESTORATION  OF  THE  ARK.  53 

propitiatory  presents  were  to  be  deposited  in  a  coffer  made  for 
the  purpose,  and  placed  in  a  new  cart  beside  the  ark.  It  was  a 
reverential  feeling  which  led  them  to  use  in  this  service  a 
vehicle  which  had  never  been  employed  for  other  or  baser  pur- 
poses. The  cart  itself  was  probably  like  one  of  the  arabas,  the 
only  wheeled  vehicles  now  known  in  these  lands.  These  have 
solid  wooden  wheels,  encircled  by  an  iron  tire,  and  fixed  upon 
the  axle-tree  which  revolves  under  the  body  of  the  cart.*  In 
such  a  cart  the  ark  and  the  offerings  were  placed,  and  to  it  two 
milch-cows  were  yoked  with  a  special  intention.  Doubtless, 
like  the  new  cart,  the  untrained  kine  were  intended  for  a  token  of 
reverence,  even  as  such  animals  were  chosen  for  sacrifice  as  had 
never  been  put  to  servile  uses  ;  but  there  was  a  further  meaning 
in  the  selection.  By  it  they  hoped  to  demonstrate  whether  the 
plagues  which  had  smitten  the  people  were  accidental  or  super- 
natural. Such  kine,  for  the  first  time  submitted  to  the  yoke, 
would  naturally  be  restive  and  unruly;  besides  this,  their 
calves  were  taken  from  them  and  shut  up  at  home.  It  would 
be  only  natural  that  when  left  to  themselves  the  cows  would 
hurry  back  to  their  young  ones.  So  the  divines  make  the  ex- 
periment, expecting  that  the  event  would  show  that  the  idea  of 
the  calamities  being  miraculous  was  groundless.  If  when  let 
go,  the  animals  followed  their  maternal  instinct  and  turned  to 
their  stalls  where  their  calves  were  shut  up,  then  they  would  con- 
clude that  it  was  a  chance  that  had  happened  to  them  ;  but  if, 
on  the  contrary,  the  kine  turned  from  their  own  home,  and  drew 
the  cart  quietly  and  directly  towards  the  borders  of  Judah,  then, 
in  that  very  unlikely  case,  they  must  needs  own  that  they  were 
controlled  by  a  Divine  power,  and  that  the  plagues  which  had 
stricken  them  were  sent  by  Jehovah.  Thus  they  put  the  God 
of  Israel  to  the  test,  and  gave  occasion  for  a  display  of  His 
Providence. 

The  nearest  Israelite  town  to  Ekron  was  Bethshemesh,  which 
lay  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles  in  a  south-easterly  direction. 
The  name  of  this  city  means  "  House  of  the  Sun,"  and  it  had 
been  a  famous  shrine  in  Canaanitish  times.  It  is  not  visible  from 
Ekron,  being  hidden  by  an  intervening  swell  near  that  place ;  but 
when  once  this  is  past,  the  road  runs  for  miles  straight  to- 
wards and  in  full  sight  of  the  Jud^ean  town.     Its  ruins  are  in 

"  Van  Lennep,  79,  80. 


54  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  modern  village  of  Ain  Shems,  "  The 
Well  of  the  Sun,"  beautifully  situated  on  the  rounded  point  of  a 
low  ridge,  having  on  the  north  the  Wady  Surar,  and  on  the 
south  a  smaller  wady.'  The  Wady  Surar  runs  between 
Ekron  and  Bethshemesh,  and,  when  Dr.  Robinson  visited  it, 
was  bordered  by  "  well-tilled  gardens  and  fields  of  the  richest 
soil,  all  upon  the  low  tract,  covered  with  vegetables  and 
fruits  of  great  variety  and  high  perfection."  The  cart  with 
its  sacred  freight  was  brought  outside  the  city  ;  the  kine 
were  yoked  to  it,  and  then  left  to  themselves  to  take  their 
own  course.  Usually  the  driver  walks  in  front  of  his  cart ;  in 
the  present  case  there  is  no  driver  at  all  ;  but  in  deference  to 
the  greatness  of  the  occasion,  anAthe  important  issue  involved, 
the  five  lords  follow  the  vehicle  to  mark  whither  it  goes  and 
what  is  the  result  of  the  experiment.  The  cows  never  hesitated 
for  a  moment ;  they  took  the  most  direct  course  to  Bethshemesh. 
Not  that  they  had  forgotten  their  calves,  for  they  lowed  as  they 
went ;  but  by  some  controlling  impulse  they  mastered  their 
natural  instincts  and  went  whither  the  hand  of  God  led  them. 
Up  the  rough  track  in  the  fertile  valley  they  bore  their  mys- 
terious burden,  the  Philistine  nobles  following  in  awe,  till  they 
came  to  the  near  neighbourhood  of  the  Hebrew  city.  It  was 
now  the  month  of  May,  and  the  whole  population  of  Beth- 
shemesh were  in  the  fields  gathering  in  the  wheat-harvest. 
Suddenly  they  lifted  up  their  eyes  and  saw  this  strange  proces- 
sion approaching.  As  they  realized  what  it  meant,  a  great  joy 
filled  their  hearts,  the  work  was  stopped,  and  all  with  one  accord, 
throwing  away  their  implements,  rushed  to  see  this  wonder 
which  had  come  to  pass  ;  an  universal  shout  arose  ;  their  lost 
treasure  was  restored  ;  the  Lord  was  still  gracious  to  His  land. 
Meantime  the  kine  went  steadily  forward  till  they  came  to  the 
field  of  one  Joshua  (a  man  who  bore  the  name  of  the  great  leader 
who  had  brought  the  ark  into  Canaan),  and  stopped  there  of 
their  own  accord  by  a  rock,  which  rose  above  the  surface  and 
long  marked  the  spot  hallowed  by  this  circumstance.  Beth- 
shemesh was  a  priestly  city,  and  in  it  dwelt  priests  and  Levites 
who  knew  the  requirements  of  the  Law.  These  gladly  received 
the  sacred  symbol  ;  they  took  the  rock  for  an  altar,  cut  up  the 
cart  for  fire-wood,  and  offered  the  kine  for  a  burnt-offering  to 

«  Porter,  ap.  Kitto,  snbvoc.     Robinson,  ii.  i8ff.     Geikie,  i.  103  ff.     Both 
names  of  the  village  recall  the  ancient  worship  of  the  sun. 


CAPTURE   AND  RESTORATION   OF  THE  ARK.  55 

the  Lord  who  had  dealt  so  mercifully  with  them.    The  Ekronites 
watched  these  proceedings  at  a  distance,  and  then    returned 
wondering  to  their  own  borders.     Not  satisfied  with  the  one 
formal  sacrifice,  the  Bethshemites  testified  their  gladness  by 
further  ofiferings.     By  the  ministry  of  the  priests,  and  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  ark,  which  made  of  the  place  a  sanctuary,  they 
offered  burnt  sacrifices  and  thank-offerings,  following  up  these 
with  the  usual  sacrificial  feast.     The  excesses  engendered  by 
this  banqueting,  together  with  the  general  rejoicing,  led  some  of 
the  people  to  forget  the  reverence  due  to  the  material  represen- 
tation of  the  Divine  Presence.     The  priests  had  not  covered  the 
ark  with  the  sacred  veil,  as  the  Law  ordered  (Numb.  iv.  5, 19,  20), 
and  they  themselves,  and  others,  had  the  profaneness  to  open 
the  holy  coffer,  which  even  the  Philistines  had  not  dared  to  do, 
and  to  gaze  upon  its  contents.*     The  Lord   who  had  signally 
vindicated  His  honour  among  the  heathen,  would  not  suffer  His 
own  people  to  commit  sacrilege  with  impunity.     Whether  they 
were  led  by  unhallowed  curiosity  to  raise  the  golden  cover,  and 
look  on   the   time-honoured  tables  of  the  commandments  and 
the  other  memorials  of  the  sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  or  whether 
they  desired  to  see  whether  the  Philistines  had  respected  these 
relics — whatever  the  motive,  it  was  a  grievous  sin  thus  to  pro- 
fane the  symbol  of  Jehovah.     Solemn  restrictions  had  encom- 
passed it  from  the  first  ;  it  was  to  be  handled  by  the  priests 
alone  ;  if  a  stranger  looked  upon  it,  he  was  to  be  put  to  death  ; 
even  the  Levites  themselves  might  not  "  see  the  holy  things  for 
an  instant,  lest  they  died."  ^     Thus  was  taught  the  awful  holi- 
ness of  God.     Swift  retribution  followed  the  act  of  irreverence 
of  which  the  Bethshemites  had  been  guilty.     Seventy  of  the 
chief  men  were  smitten  of  God  and  died.^     If  we  are  to  trust 
*  The  words  in  i  Sam.  vi.  19,  translated  in  A.  V.  :   "  Because  they  had 
looked  into  the  ark  of  tlie  Lord,"  are  also  rendered  :  ''  Because  they  had 
looked  at  the  ark."  Vulg.  :  ''  Eo  quod  vidissent  Arcam.''    So  the  LXX.    In 
this  case  the  sin  consisted  in  a  curious  and  irreverent  scrutiny.    They  ought 
to  have  received  it  with  humility  and  penitence,  not  with  feasting  and  riot, 
dishonouring  the  sacred  symbol  which  had  been  removed  for  their  sins. 
^  Numb.  i.  50,  51  ;  iv.  5,  16-30. 

3  The  present  Hebrew  text  has  "  seventy  men  fifty  thousand  men,"  with 
no  conjunction  between  the  numbers.  It  is  quite  contrary  to  Hebrew 
usage  to  place  the  smaller  number  first ;  Josephus  says  that  seventy  were 
struck  by  lightning  ;  and  it  is  quite  impossible  that  in  a  mere  village  fifty 
thousand  persons  could  have  fallen.  The  larger  number  is  certainly  an 
interpolation,  arising  from  the  Hebrew  method  of  denoting  numbers  by  letters. 


56  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

the  Greek  version,  they  were  the  sons  of  one  Jeconiah  who 
were  most  conspicuous  for  want  of  sympathy  and  irreverence 
towards  the  holy  symbol — "  they  rejoiced  not  among  the  men 
of  Bethshemesh  because  they  saw  the  ark,"  as  it  is  expressed — 
which  means,  probably,  that  they  feared  its  presence  might  bring 
a  plague  on  them  as  it  had  on  the  Philistines,  and  were  vexed 
that  the  people  had  received  it  so  gladly  ;  on  them  conse- 
quently fell  the  destruction.  Whoever  they  were  that  perishedi 
the  death  of  so  many  in  a  little  community  was  felt  as  a  very 
serious  and  awful  calamity.  Their  own  sinfulness  was  brought 
painfully  home  to  them  ;  they  were  ready  to  cry  with  the  widow 
of  Zarephath  in  the  presence  of  her  great  sorrow  :  "  What  have 
I  to  do  with  thee,  O  thou  man  of  God  ?  Art  thou  come  unto 
me  to  call  my  sin  into  remembrance,  and  to  slay  my  son  ?"  *  Or 
with  St.  Peter,  astonied  at  Christ's  miracle  :  "  Depart  from 
me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord." '  So  like  the  Gadarenes 
who  besought  Jesus  to  depart  from  their  borders,^  the  people  of 
Bethshemesh  cast  in  their  mind  how  to  get  rid  of  this  terrifying 
witness,  for  they  said  :  "  Who  is  able  to  stand  before  Jehovah, 
this  holy  God  ?  And  to  whom  shall  He  go  up  from  us?  "  See- 
ing in  the  ark  the  dwelling-place  of  Jehovah,  they  wish  to  pass 
it  on  to  others.  Now  some  five  miles  south-east  of  Bethshemesh, 
and  standing  conspicuously  on  its  hill,  some  i,ooo  feet  higher 
than  Ain  Shems,  was  an  Israelitish  city  which  had  once  been 
a  noted  sanctuary  of  Baal  before  it  came  into  Jewish  hands. 
This  city  was  Kirjath-Jearim,  the  "  city  of  woods  "  (as  we  might 
call  it  Woodtown,  or  Wootton),  not  the  modern  Kuryet-el- 
Enab,  "  city  of  grapes,"  as  Dr.  Robinson  supposed,'*  but  identi- 
fied with  Khurbet  Erma,  "a  ruin  on  a  thickly  covered  ridge 
amongst  copses  and  thickets  of  lentisk  and  hawthorn,  to  which  the 
name  Erma  still  applies,  corresponding  to  the  latest  form  Arim, 
which  took  the  place  of  the  original  Yarim  or  Jearim  (Ezra  ii.  25).5 

»  I  Kings  xvii.  i8.  ■  Luke  v.  8. 

3  Matt.  viii.  34.  *  "  Researches,"  ii.  335. 

5  To  confirm  this  identification  it  is  noted  that  "  the  three  principal  letters 
(ayin,  resh,  mem)  of  the  name  Jearim,  or  of  the  later  abbreviated  form  Arim, 
occur  in  tlie  proper  order  in  the  modern  Arabic  Erma  (spelt  with  the 
guttural  ain)  ;  the  site  is,  moreover,  surrounded  and  concealed  by  the 
thickets  of  lentisk,  oak,  hawthorn,  and  other  shrubs,  which  properly  repre- 
sent the  Hebrew  word  ^(rr//«,  from  a  root  signifying  to  be  'tangled 'or 
"confused."  '     ("Survey  Memoirs,"  iii.  4S  ff-) 


CAPTURE   AND   RESTORATION  OF  THE  ARK.  57 

This  ruin  is  distant  only  three  miles  from  the  great  valley  to- 
wards which  it  looks  down.  It  lies  close  to  the  border  of  the 
lower  hills  and  the  high  Judsean  mountains,  and  it  shows  evi- 
dence of  having  been  an  ancient  site."  ^  Since  Shiloh  was  no 
longer  available  as  a  refuge,  the  Bethshemites  applied  to  the  men 
of  Kirjath-Jearim  to  relieve  them  of  the  ark  which  had  proved 
to  them  so  fatal  a  boon.  The  inhabitants  of  the  latter  place, 
possibly  after  consultation  with  Samuel,  willingly  acceded  to  the 
request ;  they  went  and  fetched  the  ark  by  the  ancient  road 
still  existing,  which  descends  north  of  the  present  ruin,  and  leads 
to  Bethshemesh  direct  along  the  banks  of  the  Wady  Ismain. 
The  ark  on  its  arrival  was  brought  up  to  the  house  of  one 
Abinadab,  which  was  on  the  hill  or  high-place.  Kirjath-Jearim 
was  not  a  Levitical  city,  but  Abinadab  may  have  been  a  Levite. 
There  was,  however,  no  priest  in  the  place,  and  as  recent  ex- 
perience had  shown  the  danger  of  profane  treatment  of  holy 
things,  Abinadab's  son,  Eleazar,  was  sanctified  as  keeper  of  the 
ark,  that  is,  not  with  a  view  of  his  performing  priestly  acts  or 
maintaining  the  sacrificial  worship  of  Jehovah,  which  would  have 
been  plainly  unlawful,  but  in  order  to  guard  the  sacred  treasure 
against  sacrilege,  and  to  see  that  due  reverence  was  paid  to  it.  A 
site  was  prepared  for  it  on  the  hill,  or  the  old  high-place  was 
utilized  for  the  purpose.  A  late  traveller,^  who  examined  the 
spot  with  this  identification  in  view,  found  that  the  rock  had  been 
cut  away  in  the  same  fashion  as  at  Shiloh.  After  mentioning 
"  a  bold  spur  running  northwards  from  the  southern  ridge 
characterized  by  a  small  natural  turret  or  platform  of  rock  rising 
from  a  knoll  above  a  group  of  olives,  beneath  which  again  the 
thickets  clothed  the  mountains,"  he  proceeds  :  "  But  the  most 
curious  feature  of  the  site  is  the  platform  of  rock,  which  has  all 
the  appearance  of  an  ancient  high-place  or  central  shrine.  The 
area  is  about  fifty  feet  north  and  south,  by  thirty  feet  east  and 
west ;  the  surface,  which  appears  to  be  artificially  levelled,  being 
some  ten  feet  above  the  ground  outside.  The  scarping  of  the 
sides  seems  mainly  natural,  but  a  foundation  has  been  sunk  on 
three  sides,  in  which  rudely-squared  blocks  of  stone  have  been 
fitted  at  the  base  of  the  wall.  On  the  east  this  wall  consisted  of 
rock  to  a  height  of  three  and  a  half  feet,  with  a  thickness  of  seven 

»  "  Twenty-one  Years'  Work  in  the  Holy  Land,"  115.  Geikie,  i.  144,  145. 
*  Captain  Conder,  "Quarterly  Statement,''  Oct.  1881,  p.  265.     See  also 
Geikie. 


58  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

feet.  There  is  an  outer  platform,  about  ten  feet  wide,  traceable 
on  the  south  and  south-east ;  and  a  flight  of  steps  three  feet 
wide,  each  step  being  one  foot  high  and  one  foot  broad,  leads  up 
to  this  lower  level  at  the  south-east  angles."  Thus  after  seven 
months'  exile  among  the  heathen  the  ark  again  found  a  home 
in  its  own  land  ;  and  here  it  remained  undisturbed  till  many- 
years  afterwards  King  David  removed  it  to  Zion,  about  which 
joyful  event  the  writer  of  the  hundred  and  thirty-second  Psalm 
sung,  where,  noting  that  in  his  journey  from  Zion  to  Kirjath- 
Jearim  the  king  passed  Rachel's  tomb,  he  says  : 

"  Lo,  we  heard  of  it  in  Ephratah  ; 
We  found  it  in  the  field  of  the  wood."  « 


'  This  is  an  usual  explanation  of  the  verse.  Messrs.  Jenning  and  Lowe 
(following  Gesenius  and  others)  in  their  commentary  take  Ephratah  to 
represent  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  in  whose  territory  Shiloh  lay  ;  so  that  the 
passage  would  mean  :  "We  heard  that  the  ark  had  rested  at  Shiloh,  but 
we  found  it  eventually  in  the  country  near  Kirjath-Jearim." 


CHAPTER  III. 

SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND  PROPHET. 

Samuel's  efforts  at  reformation — Samuel  recognized  as  judge — Assembles 
the  people  at  Mizpah— National  repentance— Insurrection — Pliilistines 
defeated  at  Ebenezer — Effects  of  the  victory — Theocratic  government 
— Samuel's  judicial  circuit — He  establishes  "  Schools  of  the  Prophets  " 
— Chronology  of  his  life — Samuel's  sons — The  people  demand  a 
king — Samuel,  by  God's  command,  acquiesces  in  their  request,  but 
warns  them  of  the  consequences — The  people  persist  in  their  demand. 

The  destruction  of  the  sanctuary  at  Shiloh  marks  an  epoch  in 
the  history  of  the  chosen  people,  even  as  the  next  era  was  closed 
by  the  overthrow  of  the  Temple  and  the  Holy  City  at  the  hands 
of  the  Babylonians,  and  the  third  period  was  consummated  by 
the  final  devastation  of  Jerusalem  by  the  legions  of  Rome.  For 
twenty  years  after  the  victory  at  Aphek,  Israel  lay  prostrate  at 
the  feet  of  its  Philistine  conquerors.  These,  indeed,  had  been 
constrained  to  restore  the  ark  to  its  original  possessors,  but  they 
retained  their  supremacy,  and  oppressed  the  Israelites  in  very 
grievous  fashion.  The  high-priesthood  was  in  abeyance  ;  there 
was  no  longer  any  centre  to  which  devout  people  might  flock  for 
the  worship  of  the  Lord  ;  the  holy  ark  was  severed  from  its  con- 
nection with  the  Tabernacle  ;  there  was  danger  of  a  collapse  of 
all  religion,  and  of  despairing  submission  to  the  heathen  yoke. 
But  Samuel,  of  whom  for  a  time  we  have  lost  sight,  was  raised 
up  to  meet  this  emergency.  Samspn  might  casually  inflict 
crushing  blows  upon  the  enemy ;  might  humiliate  them  by 
showing  what  one  strong  arm,  fortified  by  an  inward  conscious- 
ness of  Divine  aid,  could  effect  ;  but  it  needed  something 
different  from  these  fitful  achievements  to  restore  to  Israel  its 


6o  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

forfeited  ascendancy.  Samuel  saw  that  spasmodic  efforts  at  re- 
volt, breaking  forth  in  separate  localities  at  infrequent  intervals, 
were  useless,  and  would  result  only  in  increased  oppression.  He 
knew  where  the  evil  lay  ;  he  knew  that,  in  the  moral  govern- 
ment of  Israel,  prosperity  hung  upon  religion  ;  that  national 
repentance  must  precede  national  recovery  ;  and  he  turned  all 
the  powers  of  his  great  mind  to  produce  this  change.  Already, 
as  we  have  seen,  his  fame  as  a  prophet  had  spread  throughout 
the  land.  Young  as  he  was,  the  down-trodden  Israelites  were 
well  inclined  to  listen  to  his  counsels.  The  frequency  of  the 
revelations  made  to  him  was  widely  known,  and  the  influence 
thus  early  obtained  paved  the  way  for  the  universal  acknow- 
ledgment of  his  judgeship.  The  latter  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
prophetical  office,  and  was  by  it  guided  and  directed.  We  do 
not  know  whether  he  had  taken  any  part  in  establishing  the 
Tabernacle  at  Kirjath-Jearim  ;  but  it  is  plain  that  he  hirhself 
then,  and  for  twenty  years  afterwards,  made  his  headquarters  at 
his  native  place,  Ramah.  During  this  period  he  had  married 
and  become  the  father  of  two  sons,  whom  he  named  respec- 
tively Joel  and  Abiah,  "Jehovah  is  God"  and  "Jehovah  is  my 
Father,"  thus  indeed  showing  his  piety  by  the  names  which  he 
gave  them  ;  though,  as  we  shall  see,  they  answered  but  ill  to  the 
holy  appellations.  But  home  ties  could  not  keep  him  from  his 
purpose,  Levite,  Nazirite,  Prophet,  he  possessed  every  quali- 
fication for  attracting  respect  and  acting  as  teacher.  A  life  of 
holiness  and  self-denial,  consistent  in  every  particular,  well 
known  to  all  Israel,  carried  with  it  an  authority  that  could  not 
but  be  acknowledged  by  every  real  Israelite.  As  Dean  Stanley 
well  says  : '  "  Whatever  else  is  lost  by  the  absence  of  experience 
of  evil,  by  the  calm  and  even  life  which  needs  no  repentance,  this 
is  gained.  The  especial  work  of  guiding,  moderating,  softening, 
the  jarring  counsels  of  men,  is  for  the  most  part  the  especial 
privilege  of  those  who  have  grownup  into  natural  strength  from 
early  beginnings  of  purity  and  goodness — of  those  who  can 
humbly  and  thankfully  look  back  through  middle  age,  and 
youth,  and  childhood,  with  no  sudden  rent  or  breach  in  their 
pure  and  peaceful  recollections." 
For  twenty  weary  years,^  which  carried  him  from  youth  to 

'  "Jewish  Church,"  lect.  xviii.  vol.  i.  p.  413. 

=  Concerning  this  section  of  the  history,  i  Sam.  vii.  2-17.  Wellhausen 


SAMUEL  JUDGE   AND   PROPHET.  6l 

middle  age,  Samuel  pursued  his  steadfast  purpose.  He  had  a 
great  work  before  him,  and  he  set  himself  resolutely  to  accom- 
plish it.  The  evils  which  had  led  to  the  present  calamities  were 
impiety  and  idolatry.  The  people  had  forsaken  the  Lord,  had 
revelled  in  wickedness,  had  utterly  forgotten  the  Law  of  Moses  ; 
and  retribution  had  overtaken  them  as  a  direct  consequence  of 
their  sins.  Throughout  the  Holy  Land  were  found  the  images 
of  the  Philistine  deities,  who  were  worshipped  now  instead  of, 
or  in  company  with,  Jehovah.  In  place  of  resorting  to  the 
priests  of  the  Lord  and  the  appointed  sacrifices,  the  people  set 
up  shrines  containing  images  of  Baal  and  Astarte,  and  offered 
there  the  foul  worship  of  their  heathen  conquerors.  A  false 
peace  had  fallen  upon  them,  numbing  their  spiritual  faculties, 
and  persuading  them  to  fall  in  with  the  ways  of  their  idolatrous 
neighbours.  The  Philistines  doubtless  made  it  a  test  of  submis- 
sion that  they  should  honour  the  victors'  religion.  The  weak- 
ness of  human  nature,  the  laxity  of  morals,  thus,  as  it  were, 
sanctified  by  religion,  the  tendency  to  acquiesce  in  what  seemed 
inevitable,  the  fear  of  worse  suffering  if  opposition  was  attempted 
— all  these  things  offered  serious  opposition  to  any  change  for  the 
better  ;  against  them  all  Samuel  had  to  contend.  He  was  pre- 
eminently a  man  of  prayer  ;  his  love  of  intercession  was  a 
marked  feature  of  his  character.  His  communing  with  God 
supported  him  throughout  this  woful  period.  At  Ramah,  where 
his  influence  was  greatest,  he  raised  an  altar  and  performed  the 
worship  of  Jehovah  with  such  faithful  Israelites  as  he  could  find 
to  join  him.  Gradually  he  gathered  a  little  circle  of  pupils  and 
friends,  and  expounded  to  them  his  views  and  wishes  and  long- 
ings. Here  was  formed  the  nucleus  of  that  prophetic  school 
which,  starting  from  small  beginnings,  continued  to  the  end  of 
the  Jewish  history,  and  had  so  marked  an  influence  on  national 
events  and  character.  Steadily  and  warily  he  won  his  way  into 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen.  With  unwearied  zeal  he  went  up 
and  down  among  them,  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other, 
reproving,  rebuking,  exhorting.  He  recalled  to  mind  their 
ancient  glory,  infused  into  their  hearts  the  long-forgotten  ideas 
so  familiar  to  their  forefathers — the  special  Providence  that 
watched  over  them,  the  favour  bestowed,  the  guidance    exer- 

("  History  of  Israel,''  pp.  248,  249)  affirms  that  there  cannot  be  a  word  of 
truth  in  the  whole  narrative,  which  is  simply  a  fictitious  insertion  intended 
to  express  and  enforce  certain  ideas  of  much  later  origin. 


62  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

cised,the  prosperity  consequent  upon  obedience,  the  punishment 
that  followed  the  infringement  of  Divine  commands.  Often  in 
danger  from  the  Philistines,  who  knew  that  conversion  to  Jeho- 
vah meant  rebellion  against  themselves  ;  repelled  and  opposed 
by  irreligious  Israelites,  who  were  content  with  their  bondage, 
and  did  not  wish  to  be  aroused  to  assert  their  independence, 
Samuel  continued  to  execute  his  mission  ;  during  all  these  years 
he  never  swerved  from  his  purpose,  endeavouring  to  make  Israel 
see  its  sinfulness,  acknowledge  the  justice  of  its  punishment,  and 
make  itself  worthy  of  God's  renewed  protection  by  turning  to 
Him  heartily  and  entirely. 

At  length,  after  this  long  preparation,  matters  seemed  to  be 
ripe  for  a  general  change ;  the  people  had  learned  their  lesson  ; 
calamity  and  oppression  had  driven  them  to  repentance  ;  they 
had  discovered  the  source  of  their  disasters  and  the  only  effectual 
remedy.  Then  Samuel,  who  had  long  worked  in  secret,  unto 
whom  they  looked  for  counsel  and  support,  suddenly  appeared 
in  public  as  a  heaven-sent  leader.  Israel  had  "lamented  after 
Jehovah,"  sorrowed  for  its  past  transgressions,  and  again  sought 
the  Lord,  and  could  now  trust  in  the  Divine  help.  So  no  longer 
by  private  remonstrance  or  secret  exhortation,  but  openly 
Samuel  stands  forth  to  show  the  way  of  reformation.  One  con- 
dition only  he  insists  upon  as  a  token  of  contrition  ;  they  must 
openly  renounce  idolatry,  and  be  prepared  to  endure  the  con- 
sequences of  such  proceeding.  "If,"  he  proclaims,  "  if  ye  do 
return  unto  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart,  then  put  away  the 
strange  gods  and  theAshtaroth  from  among  you,  and  prepare  your 
hearts  unto  the  Lord,  and  serve  Him  only  ;  and  He  will  deliver 
you  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines."  The  Israelites  responded 
to  the  call ;  the  heart  of  the  whole  people  was  stirred  ;  as  by  a 
general  impulse  they  tore  themselves  free  from  the  debasing 
idolatry  which  had  held  them  captive  ;  they  demolished  the 
shrines  ;  they  brake  the  idols  to  pieces.  Such  conduct  was  equi- 
valent to  an  overt  act  of  rebellion  against  their  Philistine  oppres- 
sors. It  shows  what  a  wonderful  power  Samuel  exercised,  how 
deeply  his  passionate  appeals  influenced  the  nation,  that  almost 
unarmed  and  undisciplined,  with  no  military  commander  to 
inspire  them  with  confidence  and  to  lead  them  to  victory,  they 
provoked  a  contest  with  a  foe  greatly  superior  in  equipment  and 
force,  and  animated  by  a  long  series  of  successes.  But  it  was  no 
vain  confidence  in  the  arm  of  flesh  that  led  them  to  make  this 


f 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND   PROPHET.  63 

venture  ;  and  to  prepare  them  for  their  solemn  trial  Samuel 
summons  them  to  repentance  and  prayer.  From  this  time  for- 
ward he  takes  the  lead.  Now  he  convenes  a  general  assembly  at 
Mizpah  to  prepare  for  war  by  the  exercise  of  religion.  Mizpah, 
which  means  watch-tower^  is  a  name  given  to  many  heights  in 
Palestine  ;  but  the  place  intended  here  is  that  remarkable  hill, 
the  loftiest  in  Central  Palestine,  rising  some  five  hundred  feet 
above  the  surrounding  country,  and  nearly  three  thousand  above 
the  sea  level,  about  five  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  and  now  known 
by  the  name  of  Neby  Samwil.  If  this  is  the  same  place  as  Nob, 
it  was  chosen  as  the  scene  of  the  great  assembly,  not  only  be- 
cause of  its  commanding  position,  which  rendered  it  safe  from 
surprise,  but  because  the  Tabernacle  was  settled  there.  It  is 
remarkable  that  on  the  summit  of  this  hill,  as  at  Shiloh  and 
Kirjath-Jearim,  there  is  a  level  platform  some  five  or  six  feet 
high  cut  out  of  the  rock,  whereon,  doubtless,  some  kind  of 
building  was  erected  to  receive  the  sacred  tent.  "  The  view  from 
this  place,  which  is  usually  identified  with  Mizpah,  is  extensive. 
It  includes  Ivlount  Gerizim,  and  the  promontory  of  Carmel  to  the 
north  ;  Jaffa,  Ramleh,  and  a  wide  stretch  of  the  maritime  plain 
to  the  west  ;  Jebel  Furaydis  (the  so-called  Frank  Mountain),  the 
far-distant  mountains  of  Jebal,  the  town  of  Kerak,  Jebel  Shihan 
(the  highest  point  in  Israel),  are  seen  to  the  south  and  south- 
east ;  the  continuation  of  the  trans-Jordanic  plateau,  with 
slightly  undulating  outline,  stretches  to  the  east  and  north-east."  ^ 
In  atonement  for  the  past,  and  in  dedication  for  the  future,  under 
Samuel's  instruction,  the  people  performed  two  solemn  cere- 
monies. First,  they  fasted,  as  the  Law  enjoined  on  the  great  day 
of  atonement,  confessing  their  sins,  and  afflicting  their  soul,  and 
humbling  themselves  before  Jehovah.  This  general  fast  was 
accompanied  by  another  rite,  not  mentioned  heretofore,  but 
practised  by  immemorial  usage  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 
"  They  drew  water,"  it  is  said,  "and  poured  it  out  before  the 
Lord."  In  later  time  it  was  the  custom  on  each  of  the  seven 
days  that  the  feast  lasted  for  the  priests  to  go  forth  from  the 
Temple,  accompanied  by  the  Levite  choir,  unto  the  spring  of 
Siloah,  and  to  bring  thence  water  in  a  golden  vessel  to  be 
poured  out  at  the  altar  as  a  libation  at  the  time  of  the  morning 
sacrifice.^    Was  this  ceremony  so  long  maintained,  and  so  often 

*  "Quarterly  Statement,'"  1872,  p.  174  ;    "  Survey  Memoirs,"  iii.  43  ff. 

■  Comp,  IsLi.  xii.  3  ;  John  vii.  37,  38. 


64  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

mentioned  by  Rabbinical  writers,  in  memory  of  this  great  national 
conversion,  a  commemoration  of  the  reconciliation  of  the 
estranged  people  ?  It  is  probable  that  it  was  at  this  feast,  and  the 
fast  which  preceded  it,  that  Samuel  assembled  the  people.  It  is 
noteworthy,'  that  after  the  return  from  Babylon,  this  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  was  solemnly  kept  by  the  whole  congregation  (Ezra 
iii.  4-6);and  again  in  Nehemiah's  time,  when  the  people  assem- 
bled to  hear  the  Law  read,  it  was  at  the  same  feast  ;  so  that  it 
seems  that  this  festival  was  regarded  as  the  fittest  occasion  for 
making  a  great  national  demonstration  or  inaugurating  a  national 
movement.  The  pouring  out  of  water  has  been  variously  inter- 
preted. As  used  in  the  Temple  service  it  was  a  memorial  of  the 
water  from  the  smitten  rock,  and  a  type  of  the  effusion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  On  the  particular  occasion  here  referred  to,  it  has 
been  explained  in  connection  with  the  accompanying  fast  as 
denoting  self-denial,  as  David  refused  to  drink  the  water  from 
the  well  of  Bethlehem,  but  poured  it  out  before  the  Lord  (2  Sam. 
xxii.  16) ;  others  see  in  it  a  token  of  repentance,  a  total  re- 
nunciation of  sin,  the  water  being,  as  it  were,  a  symbol  of 
tears  ;  or  being  poured  on  the  earth  it  figuratively  washed  the 
land  from  the  stain  of  idolatry ;  or  it  represented  their  abject 
condition  and  helplessness,  that  they  were  as  water  spilt  on  the 
ground,  which  cannot  be  gathered  up  again.^' 

Samuel  had  collected  the  assembly,  acting  in  his  capacity  as 
prophet ;  henceforward  he  was  to  exercise  another  office.  The 
people  recognized  his  authority  ;  they  saw  in  him  one  who  was 
well  fitted  to  be  their  ruler  in  things  temporal,  and  here  in  full 
convention  they  by  universal  acclamation  elected  him  as  judge. 
A  worthier  choice  could  not  have  been  made.  It  is  true  he  was 
no  warrior,  no  sagacious  general  who  could  lead  them  forth  to 
victory  having  the  experience  of  many  a  well-fought  battle  to 
guide  him  ;  but  he  was  strong  in  prayer,  strong  in  faith  ;  he 
had  the  prudence  of  calm  wisdom  ;  he  knew  his  countrymen 
thoroughly,  and  understood  exactly  how  far  they  could  be 
trusted,  what  they  could  be  expected  to  effect.  In  his  capacity 
as  judge,  he  marshalled  them  and  reduced  them  to  discipline 
and  order  so  that  they  might  resist  the  attack  which  he  foresaw. 
The  Philistines  were  not  slow  to  perceive  that  a  formidable 
rebellion  was  preparing.     The  general  demolition  of  their  idols 

'  "Speaker's  Commentary,''  on  i  Sam.  vii.  6. 
■  Corn,  a  Lap.  in  loc. 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND   PROPHET.  65 

and  this  great  gathering  at  Mizpah  were  signs  which  they  could 
not  mistake.    Prompt  measures  were  adopted.    The  whole  Phi- 
listine force  assembled  to  crush  the  insurrection.    Each  city  sent 
its  contingent,  and  an  army  which  seemed  irresistible  moved 
towards  Mizpah.     The  Israelites  were  dismayed,  but  not  dis- 
heartened.    Samuel's  confidence  had  inspired  them  with  trust 
in  the   Divine  protection ;    they  remembered  how  at  Moses' 
prayer  Amalek  had  been  defeated,  how  the  Lord  had  fought  for 
Israel  in  their  fathers'  times,  and  they  determined  to  abide  the 
attack,  and  to  leave  the  issue  to  the  God  of  armies.     They  fly 
to  Samuel,  they  bid  him,  the  child  of  prayer,  the  man  of  prayer, 
cry  unto  God  to   deliver  them   out   of  their  enemies'  hands. 
And  Samuel  at  once  executed  his  office  of  intercessor.     He 
raised  that  piercing  cry  to  heaven  which  had  often  been  heard 
among  them  ;  and  he  took  a  sucking-lamb  and  offered  it  as  a 
whole  burnt-offering  to  the  Lord.     This  he  could  do,  though  not 
of  Aaron's  family  ;  for  he  was  an  extraordinary  priest,  specially 
commissioned  to  supply  the  place  of  the  regular  ministry  in  the 
present  abnormal  state  of  affairs.     God  appoints  certain  means, 
and  men  are  bound  to  use  these  means  in  the  appointed  way ; 
but  He  does  not  so  inseparably  restrict  Himself  to  this  ap- 
pointment that  He  never  works  beyond  and  independently  of  it. 
It  is  possible,  as  we  saw  above,  that  the  Tabernacle  was  at 
Mizpah  ;  in  which  case  the  sacrifice  would  have  been  offered  in 
the  ordained  place,  though  not  by  the  regular  priest ;  but  be 
this  as  it  may,  the  prophet  was  delegated  to  rear  altars  and  to 
slay  victims  in  other  spots,  and  to  be  the  medium  of  communi- 
cation with  the  Most  High.     As  the  smoke  of  the  sacrificed 
lamb  (type  of  the  self-dedication  of  the  afflicted  people)  rose  to 
heaven,  and  while  the  loud  cry  of  Samuel  echoed  through  the 
air,  the  Philistine  host  was  seen  approaching,  and  the  Israelites 
from  their  height   advanced  to   meet  the  foe.      Little  would 
their  half-armed  and  undisciplined  forces  have  availed  against 
the  hardy  warriors  opposed  to  them.     But  the  Lord  fought  for 
Israel.     The  voice  of  God  answered  the  voice  of  the  Prophet. 
The  historian  sees  a  Divine  interposition  in  that  which  ensued. 
An  awful  thunderstorm  broke  over  the  heathen  troops,  filling 
them   with   dismay,   and  throwing  them  into  confusion  ;  and 
Samuel,  like  a  skilful  general,  seizes  the  moment  to  launch  his 
followers  against  them.      With  impetuous  courage  they  rush 
down  the  steep  ;  they  break  through  the  adverse  line  ;  a  panic 

6 


66  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

strikes  the  demoralized  heathen  host ;  resistance  is  forgotten, 
and  the  PhiHstines  fly  in  abject  terror  before  the  Israelites. 
Jewish  tradition '  tells  of  another  circumstance  that  added  to 
the  horrors  of  that  resistless  onslaught.  *'  God  disturbed  their 
ranks  with  an  earthquake  ;  the  ground  trembled  under  their 
feet,  so  that  there  was  no  place  whereon  to  stand  in  safety,  and 
they  either  fell  helpless  to  the  earth  or  into  some  of  the  chasms 
that  opened  beneath  them."  A  very  great  slaughter  ensued. 
The  Philistines  fled  down  the  deep  valley  now  filled  with  a 
torrent  rushing  over  its  rocky  bed,  pursued  by  the  victorious 
Israelites,  who  found  themselves  furnished  with  arms  cast  away 
by  the  terrified  enemy.  The  pursuit  terminated  at  Beth-car, 
now  Ain  Karim,  "  the  well  of  the  vineyards,"  a  fortress  of  the 
Philistines,  situated  in  a  recess  half  way  up  the  eastern  moun- 
tains.'' Here  the  small  remains  of  the  heathen  host  took  refuge 
undisturbed  by  further  attack.  Long  afterwards  the  Jews  dwelt 
with  exultation  on  this  victory,  and  the  son  of  Sirach  refers  to 
it  in  eulogistic  strain  :  Samuel  "  called  upon  the  mighty  Lord, 
when  his  enemies  pressed  upon  him  on  every  side  when  he 
offered  the  sucking-lamb.  And  the  Lord  thundered  from 
heaven,  and  with  a  great  noise  made  His  voice  to  be  heard. 
And  he  destroyed  the  rulers  of  the  Tyrians,  and  all  the  princes 
of  the  Philistines."  3  In  memory  of  this  great  deliverance,  and  in 
view  of  the  necessity  of  Divine  aid  in  the  future,  Samuel  set  up 
a  great  stone  in  the  plain  where  the  defeat  had  taken  place, 
and  called  it  Ebenezer,  "  Help-stone,"  saying,  "  Hitherto  hath 
the  Lord  helped  us."  This  was  the  same  spot  where  twenty 
years  before  the  Israelites  had  suffered  the  great  defeat  which 
culminated  in  the  capture  of  the  ark.  It  is  defined  by  the 
sacred  historian  as  lying  between  Mizpah  and  Ha-Shen  ("  the 
tooth  "),  a  sharp-pointed  rock  so  called.  This  latter  is  identified 
with  Deir  Yesin  (which  preserves  the  name),  a  place  three 
miles  west  of  Jerusalem,  and  one  and  a  half  miles  north 
of  Beth-car.-*  The  public  erection  of  this  memorial  shows 
what  an  important  reformation  Samuel  had  effected,  and  what 
was  the  principle  which  he  had  impressed  upon  his  countrymen. 
For  ages   afterwards    every  pious    wayfarer   might  read   the 

«  Joseplms,  "  Antiq.",  vi.  2.  2. 

»  Robinson,    "  I^ater  Researches,"  158;    "Palestine  Quarterly,"    1881, 
p.  271. 

3  Ecclus,  xlvi.  i6  ff,  4  HiMiderson,  "  Palestine,"  215. 


v_ 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND   PROPHET.  67 

guiding  motive  of  his  actions,  and  the  ground  of  all  national 
success  :  "  Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  who  hath 
made  heaven  and  earth." 

Some  immediate  results  followed  this  victory.  The  Philis- 
tines were  for  a  time  broken,  and  made  no  fresh  attack  on 
Israel.  The  national  spirit  of  the  Hebrews  was  thoroughly 
aroused  ;  they  not  only  guarded  their  frontiers,  but  also  re- 
covered all  the  cities  and  the  surrounding  territories  between 
Ekron  and  Gath  which  had  been  seized  by  the  enemy  in  the 
time  of  their  depression.  The  Amorites,  too,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Joppa  who  had  taken  part  with  the  Canaanites,  found 
it  to  their  advantage  to  side  with  Samuel,  and  put  themselves 
under  the  protection  of  the  Israelites.^  "  It  was  no  mere  soHtary 
victory,  this  success  of  Israel  at  Ebenezer,  but  was  the  sign  of  a 
new  spirit  in  Israel,  which  animated  the  nation  during  the  life- 
time of  Samuel,  and  the  reigns  of  David  and  Solomon  and  the 
great  Hebrew  kings.  The  petty  jealousies  had  disappeared, 
and  had  given  place  to  a  great  national  desire  for  unity.  In  the 
several  tribal  districts  it  was  no  longer  the  glory  and  prosperity 
of  Judah,  Ephraim,  or  Benjamin,  but  the  glory  and  prosperity 
of  Israel  that  was  aimed  at.  The  old  idol  worship  of  Canaan, 
which  corrupted  and  degraded  every  nationality  which  prac- 
tised it,  was  in  a  great  measure  swept  away  from  among  the 
chosen  people,  while  the  pure  religion  of  the  Eternal  of  Hosts 
was  no  longer  confided  solely  to  the  care  and  guardianship  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi,  which  had  shown  itself  unworthy  of  the 
mighty  trust.  The  Levites  still  ministered  in  the  sanctuary, 
and  when  the  Temple  took  its  place,  alone  officiated  in  its 
sacred  courts ;  and  the  chosen  race  of  Aaron,  in  the  family  first 
of  Ithamar,  then  of  Eleazar,  alone  wore  the  jewels  and  the 
official  robe  of  the  high  priest  ;  but  in  religious  matters  the 
power  of  the  priestly  tribe  was  never  again  supreme  in  the  Land 
of  Promise.  From  the  days  of  Samuel  a  new  order — that  of 
the  Prophets,  whose  exact  functions  with  regard  to  the  ritual  of 
the  worship  of  the  Eternal  were  undefined — was  acknowledged 
by  the  people  as  the  regular  medium  of  communication  with  the 
Jewish  king  of  Israel."^ 

The  blow  thus  struck  at  the  superiority  of  the  Philistines  was 
felt  at  the  moment  so  severely  that  the  sacred  writer  could  say 

*  I  Sam.  vii.  14  ;  Ewald,  ii.  199. 

*  Bishop  Ellicott's  "  Comtn.'"  on  i  Sam.  vii.  13. 


68  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

that,  up  to  the  time  when  he  wrote,  a  few  years  after  the  event, 
"the  PhiHstines  came  no  more  unto  the  coast  of  Israel,  and  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  was  against  them  all  the  days  of  Samuel."  * 

The  years  of  quiet  left  Samuel  at  liberty  to  pursue  his  high 
vocation.  Previous  judges  had  been  mere  warriors  and  com- 
manders ;  they  executed  their  office,  delivered  their  nation, 
and  subsided  into  private  life,  neither  effecting  nor  trying  to 
effect  any  permanent  reforms.  Samuel  was  no  general,  no 
military  leader.  The  occasion  lately  mentioned  was,  as  far  as 
we  know,  the  only  time  when  he  acted  as  a  leader  in  war.  His 
was  a  higher  call,  to  educate  his  nation  to  realize  the  theocratic 
government,  and  to  live  as  under  the  eye  and  under  the  direct 
rule  of  Jehovah.  He  partially  failed  in  this  attempt,  because  he 
could  not  elevate  his  fallen  countrymen  to  adopt  and  act  upon 
so  high  a  view  ;  but  he  laboured  hard  for  this  end,  and  resigned 
it  only  at  the  express  permission  of  God.  We  have  to  see  how 
he  strove  to  carry  out  his  idea,  the  measures  he  took  to  make 
his  influence  felt,  and  to  raise  the  people  to  a  knowledge  and 
appreciation  of  their  great  privileges.  The  respect  in  which  he 
was  held,  the  great  services  he  had  rendered,  facilitated  his 
task  ;  and  he  brought  his  personal  influence  to  bear  on  his 
countrymen  generally,  at  least  in  the  southern  part  of  the  land, 
by  visiting  annually  some  of  the  celebrated  spots  of  religious 
veneration,  and  there  sacrificing  and  exercising  his  office  of  civil 
judge.  Starting  from  Ramah  his  home,  he  used  first  to  go  to 
the  time-honoured  Bethel,  where  the  Lord  had  twice  appeared 
to  his  great  forefather  Jacob,  and  where  the  encampment  and 
altar  of  Abraham  had  stood.  Thence  he  journeyed  to  Gilgal  in 
the  Jordan  valley,^  the  first  station  of  the  Israelites  after  they 

"  This  seems  the  most  obvious  way  of  explaining  the  statement  in 
I  Sam.  vii,  13,  which  otherwise  cannot  be  reconciled  with  the  fact  that  the 
Phihstines  in  the  early  days  of  Saul  were  again  active  oppressors  of  Israel. 
Possibly  Samuel  himself  wrote  the  words  of  the  text  before  the  Philistines 
had  recovered  from  their  defeat  or  attempted  to  regain  their  lost  supremacy. 
The  explanation  of  Dean  Payne  Smith,  that  "  it  is  the  method  of  the  Divine 
historians  to  include  the  ultimate  results,  however  distant,  in  their  account 
of  an  event,"  though  true  enough  in  many  cases,  seems  hardly  adequate  to 
solve  the  difficulty  here. 

s  That  this  Gilgal  is  the  one  intended  in  the  text  seems  most  probable, 
as  the  other  on  the  high  ground  to  the  south-west  of  Shiloh  (2  Kings  ii.  i) 
was  of  no  religious  importance  at  this  time  or  previously,  and  Samuel's 
circuit  was  confined  to  holy  sites  whither  pilgrims  flocked  at  different  times 
of  the  year.     See  Geikie,  ii.  94  ff. 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND   PROPHET.  69 

had  crossed  the  river,  some  three  miles  east  of  Jericho,  and 
known  now  by  the  name  of  Tell  Jiljulieh.  This  had  been  from 
time  immemorial  a  consecrated  locality.  Its  very  name,  mean- 
ing "a  circle,"  recalls  the  primeval  stone  monuments  of  some 
forgotten  religion,  though  Joshua  conferred  a  new  interpretation 
on  the  appellation  by  making  it  commemorate  the  erection  of 
twelve  stones  which  marked  the  miraculous  passage  of  the 
Jordan.  From  Gilgal  Samuel  visited  Mizpah,  and  ended  at 
Ramah,  where  he  doubtless  had  succeeded  to  some  of  his 
father's  property.  But  he  did  not  confine  his  judicial  visits  to 
these  well-known  spots  ;  he  often  betook  himself  to  other 
places  at  uncertain  intervals  in  order  to  redress  grievances,  or 
to  punish  wrong-doing,  or  to  offer  Divine  worship.^  He  estab- 
lished a  regular  service  at  Shiloh,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  he 
removed  the  Tabernacle  hither  when  he  built  his  altar  here. 
Possibly,  the  priests  of  the  family  of  Ithamar  claimed  it  as  their 
own  peculiar  property,  and,  as  a  kind  of  Palladium,  removed  it 
from  one  of  their  own  cities  to  another,  without  Samuel's  ap- 
proval or  against  his  will,  the  sacred  writer  with  a  reverent 
reticence  omitting  to  record  these  proceedings.^  It  was  not 
unusual,  in  spite  of  the  stringent  rule  of  the  Mosaic  code  which 
ordered  all  sacrifices  to  be  offered  before  the  ark  in  the 
appointed  place,^  for  altars  to  be  reared  in  other  localities,  as 
by  the  people  at  Bochim,  by  Gideon  at  Ophrah,  and  by  Manoah 
at  Zorah.'*  It  is  stated  in  the  Mishna  that  before  the  Tabernacle 
was  erected  high-places  were  lawful,  but  after  it  was  erected 
they  were  not  allowed.  After  the  destruction  of  Shiloh  it 
became  temporarily  lawful  to  sacrifice  in  the  high- places,  and 
this  permission  continued  till  the  establishment  of  the  Taber- 
nacle at  Jerusalem. s  The  sacrificial  acts  of  Samuel  at  Ebenezer, 
at  Ramah,  and  other  places,  were  evidently  sanctioned  by  God  ; 
the  pretext  of  a  sacrifice  at  Bethlehem  on  the  occasion  of  the 
anointing  of  David  was  especially  suggested  by  the  Lord 
(i  Sam.  xvi.  2).  Now  that  the  tabernacle  and  ark  were 
divorced  from  one  another,  and  there  was  no  regularly- 
appointed  House  of  God,  the  Mosaic  rule  was  temporarily 
suspended,  and  what  would  have  been  an  offence  at  one  time 
and  after  the  Temple  was  built  was  at  this  abnormal  period 

*  See  I  Sam.  xvi.  2  flf,  *  Hummelauer,  on  i  Sam.  vii.  17. 

3  Deut.  xii.  5,  6,  13,  14.  4  Judges  ii.  5  ;  vi.  24  ;  xiii.  19. 

5  Quoted  by  Captain  Conder,  "Quarterly  Statement,"  1875,  p,  36. 


70  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

allowed  and  condoned.  And  it  was  also  shown  by  the  accept- 
ance of  sacrifice  at  Samuel's  hands  that  the  Aaronic  priesthood 
was  not  of  the  essence  of  religion,  and  that  God  by  special 
delegation  allowed  prophets  to  perform  priestly  acts. 

At  Ramah  Samuel  gathered  a  company  of  youths,  whom  he 
taught  to  read  and  write,  instructed  in  the  Law,  in  the  music  of 
Divine  worship,  and  in  the  practice  of  "  prophecy."  There  is 
some  difficulty  in  discovering  what  is  exactly  to  be  understood 
by  a  school  of  the  prophets,  which  he  is  allowed  to  have  founded. 
The  circumstances  of  the  times  plainly  demanded  some  order 
supplementary  to  the  priesthood  which  had  so  greatly  de- 
generated, and  was  now  unworthy  to  be  the  instructor  of  the 
people.  External  acts  of  religion  needed  to  be  explained  and 
illustrated  by  oral  teaching.  Samuel  saw  this  necessity,  and  to 
aid  his  own  efforts  at  reformation  and  to  render  his  work 
permanent,  he  established  colleges  of  Prophets,  which  should 
keep  up  the  supply  of  teachers  and  of  persons  competent  to 
receive  communications  from  heaven.  Trained  in  the  arts  of 
poetry,  music,  and  sacred  song,  living  a  cenobitic  life,  cherishing 
their  gifts  in  common,  these  persons  were  often  affected  by  the 
spirit  of  inspiration  unconsciously  propagated  from  one  another, 
and  uttered  words  of  Divine  force  and  significance.  We  hear 
of  these  "  schools  "  in  various  places,  as  Gibeah,  Bethel,  Gilgal, 
Jericho ;  and  they  continued  down  to  the  Captivity,  doing  a 
great  work,  maintaining  pure  religion  in  the  midst  of  general 
corruption,  raising  a  constant  protest  against  laxity  and  im- 
morality, and  acting  as  a  counterpoise  to  the  influence  of  the 
monarchy,  which  was  so  commonly  found  on  the  side  of  impiety 
and  idolatry.  It  is  as  teachers  of  morality  and  religion  that 
the  prophets  in  Samuel's  time  are  to  be  chiefly  regarded.  Other 
functions,  doubtless,  they  discharged ;  they  uttered  religious 
songs  accompanied  by  musical  instruments  ;  they  gave  audible 
expression  to  the  visions  of  the  seer  In  some  rhythmical  form, 
which  at  once  fixed  the  attention  and  was  easily  retained  by  the 
memory  ;  *  they  prepared  psalms  and  music  for  Divine  service  ; 
they  composed  annals  of  the  days  in  which  they  lived  ;  but 
their  highest  duty  was  to  hold  forth  a  high  standard  of  spiritual 
religion,  and  to  reveal  God's  will  to  man.  At  the  head  of  this 
institution  stood  Samuel.     But  this  did  not  complete  the  sum 

■  Stanley,  "Jewish  Church,"  i.  399* 


SAMUEL  Judge  and  prophet.  71 

of  his  occupations  or  influence.  He  was  not  like  those  judges 
who  held  supreme  authority  in  some  perilous  time,  and  in  days 
of  peace  were  lightly  regarded  and  forgotten.  He  had  become 
necessary  to  his  countrymen  ;  he  was  their  friend  and  adviser 
in  every  matter  ;  they  consulted  him  in  little  questions  as  well 
as  in  great.  In  any  difficulty,  domestic,  personal,  or  national, 
they  had  recourse  to  the  Seer.  Some  doubtless  regarded  him 
superstitiously  as  a  "  wise  man  "  or  wizard,  but  with  most  he 
was  emphatically  the  man  of  God,  who  had  communication 
with  the  Most  High,  and  was  illuminated  with  superhuman 
wisdom  by  direct  inspiration  from  heaven.  He  was  truly  the 
great  statesman  and  reformer  of  his  age.  The  institutions 
which  he  founded  and  supervised  trained  the  young  in  religion 
and  purity  and  Hterary  accomplishments,  fostering  high  education 
and  all  good  habits.  His  own  unwearied  attention  to  business, 
his  easy  urbanity,  his  humble  affability,  brought  his  influence  to 
bear  on  individuals,  and  ensured  justice  to  each  private  person  ; 
while  his  public  measures  tended  to  raise  the  spirit  of  piety  and 
patriotism,  and  to  make  Israel  what  it  was  intended  to  be,  the 
people  of  Jehovah. 

In  these  labours  of  his  judicial  office  Samuel  passed  the  best 
years  of  his  life.  The  dates  of  his  birth  and  death  are  difficult 
to  determine,  as  the  data  on  which  to  found  his  chronology  are 
uncertain.  From  the  monumental  records  of  King  Shishak  we 
gather  that  Solomon  came  to  the  throne  B.C.  1018  ;  thence  we 
conclude  that  David  reigned  from  B.C.  1058.  Saul's  reign, 
according  to  Josephus,'  lasted  twenty  years,  which  would  give 
the  date  B.C.  1078  for  his  first  anointing.  Between  Eli's  death 
and  the  battle  of  Ebenezer  some  twenty  years  elapsed  ;  Samuel 
was  then  the  recognized  Judge  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  and 
for  eighteen  held  co-ordinate  authority  with  the  king  ;  and,  as  we 
gather  from  the  Biblical  narrative  and  the  particular  place 
where  mention  of  the  decease  occurs,^  his  death  preceded  that 
of  Saul  only  by  two  years,  so  that  he  died  B.C.  1060.  The 
battle  of  Ebenezer,  which  put  an  end  to  the  forty  years  of 
Philistine  oppression,  was  fought  about  B.C.    1095.    At  Eli's 

*  "  Antiq.,"  vi.  14. 9,  where  kcli  dKo<n  ("  and  twenty  ")  is  an  interpolation, 
the  genuine  reading  being,  "Saul  reigned  during  Samuel's  life  eighteen 
years,  and  after  his  death  two."  In  another  passage  {"  Antiq.,"  x.  8.  4) 
he  states  expressly  that  Saul's  reign  lasted  only  twenty  years. 

'  Comp.  I  Sam.  xxv.  i  ;  xxvii.  7  ;  xxviii.  3. 


72  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

death,  twenty  years  previously,  Samuel  must  have  been  about 
twenty  or  twenty-five  years  old.  This  would  bring  his  birth  to 
B.C.  1 140,  and  make  his  death  to  have  happened  in  his  eightieth 
year  or  thereabout.  Some  of  these  dates  are  only  probable,  but 
they  are  well  grounded  and  consistent  with  ascertained  facts 
and  the  Biblical  record. 

As   time  went  on,  and  Samuel  advanced  in  years,  and  his 
counsel  was  sought  more  extensively,  he  found  himself  unable 
to   fulfil  satisfactorily  the  increasing  duties   of  his   combined 
offices.     Accordingly,  he   associated  his  sons  with  him  in  his 
judgeship,  and  placed  them  as  his  substitutes  in  the  extreme 
south  of  Judc^a,  at  Beersheba,  on  the  Philistine  border.  Such  an 
appointment  shows  the  wide  extent  of  his  authority.   Josephus  * 
intimates   that  his  influence  extended  also  northward  ;  for  he 
states  that  one  of  these  sons  was  established  as  judge  at  Bethel. 
It  is  difficult  to  see  how  this  good   man  could  have  so  little 
knowledge  of  the  character  of  his  sons  as  to  appoint  them  to 
these  high  posts.     The  example  of  Eli  might  have  warned  him 
against  such  a  mistake.     But  probably  it  was  the  very  elevation 
that  developed  in  the  young  men  the  seeds  of  evil  which  had 
hitherto    lain    dormant.      The    elders    had    complained    that 
Samuel's    increasing   infirmities   rendered   him   unable   to  ad- 
minister justice  effectively  in  all  parts  of  the  land  ;  the  most 
natural   and   ready  means   of  remedying  this   defect   was   to 
delegate  some  portion  of  his  powers  to  his  own  sons,  who  had 
grown  up  under  his  eye,  and  might  be  supposed  to  be  capable 
of  carrying  out  their  father's  principles  and  to  be  willing  to  do 
so.     That  they  turned  out  very  different  from  what  he  expected 
showed  indeed  that  they  had  not  profited  by  his  example,  but 
does  not  prove  that  he  was  wanting  in  prudence  or  judgment. 
Their  education  may  have  been  careful,  their  training  excellent ; 
they  had  in  their  father  a  model  of  integrity,  faith,  unselfishness, 
rarely   equalled  ;    and    yet  they   went   wrong,    walked   not   in 
Samuel's  ways,  were  greedy  and  rapacious,  perverted  justice, 
and,  after  that  very  common  Eastern  failing,  took  bribes.     The 
elders  of  Israel,  the  heads  of  the  families,  who  formed  a  kind 
of  popular   assembly,  and  who   had    learned    to    admire   the 
inexorable  justice  of  Samuel's  administration,  felt  aggrieved  at 
the  state  of  matters  which  now  existed  ;  they  saw  that  a  change 

■  "Antiq.,"  vi.  3.  2. 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND  PROPHET.  J^ 

was  absolutely  required,  if  they  were  to  continue  faithful  to  the 
Lord  and  hold  their  own  against  their  enemies.  The  Philistines 
had  recovered  from  their  defeat,  and  had  strong  garrisons  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  country  ;  the  Ammonites,  who  had  been 
subdued  by  Jephthah  years  ago,  were  threatening  the  region 
on  the  east  of  Jordan  ;  a  strong  hand  was  needed  to  unite  the 
whole  people  at  this  crisis,  and  to  lead  the  nation  to  victory. 
If  the  great  prophet  was  not  able  to  be  their  general,  and  if  his 
sons  were  unworthy  and  unfit  to  command,  what  was  their 
resource  }  They  saw  only  one  alternative.  They  had  read  the 
Book  of  the  Law,  they  knew  what  was  virtually  promised 
therein  ;  so  confiding  thoroughly  in  Samuel's  justice  and 
patriotism,  and  being  convinced  that  no  thought  of  the  private 
interest  of  himself  or  his  family  would  interfere  with  his  calm 
judgment,  they  come  to  him  at  Ramah,  saying  :  "  Behold,  thou 
art  old,  and  thy  sons  walk  not  in  thy  ways  :  now  set  a  king  for 
us,  to  judge  us  like  all  the  nations."  Their  words  recalled  and 
were  meant  to  recall  the  expressions  in  Deut.  xvii.  14,  which 
seemed  to  expect  this  very  crisis — "  When  thou  art  come  unto 
the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,  and  shalt  possess 
it,  and  shalt  dwell  therein  ;  and  shalt  say,  I  will  set  a  king 
over  me,  like  all  the  nations  which  are  round  about  me."  This 
was  their  request,  and  it  displeased  Samuel  greatly,  for  many 
reasons.  The  least  of  these  was  the  slight  put  upon  him  by 
such  a  demand  ;  the  ingratitude  for  his  vast  services,  the  dis- 
satisfaction with  his  righteous  government,  affected  him  in  a 
very  inferior  degree.  He  had  more  serious  and  wholly  unselfish 
causes  for  displeasure.  They  had  come  of  their  own  motion, 
influenced  by  worldly  motives,  without  having  consulted  the 
Lord  or  laid  the  matter  before  Him.  They  should  not  have 
offered  this  bald  request,  '^  Make  us  a  king,"  but  should  have 
entreated  the  prophet  to  find  out  God's  will  in  the  matter. 
They  make  no  reference  to  the  Almighty  ;  they  want  to  be  as 
the  neighbouring  heathen,  to  have  a  monarch  to  rule  them  and 
fight  their  battles.  It  was  their  very  privilege  to  be  different 
from  other  nations,  and  this  they  lightly  cast  away  as  of  no 
account.  They  did  not  realize  the  grand  idea  of  the  theocracy 
— "to  be  Jehovah's  own  subjects,  ruled  directly  by  Him,  a 
repubhc  with  Jehovah  for  its  chief,  and  its  officers  speaking  at 
His  command,  and  under  His  direct  influence  and  control."^ 
*  Dean  Payne  Smith,  ap.  "  Pulpit  Commentary." 


74  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

The  principle  of  monarchy  had  never  been  repudiated  by  the 
law  of  Israel ;  it  was  only  that  they  had  to  submit  to  a 
heavenly,  not  an  earthly  king.  Their  government  was  a 
theocracy  ;  the  Lord  was  their  king.  To  exhibit  and  to 
confirm  the  great  truth  of  monotheism  was  the  chief  end  of 
all  their  institutions.  To  guard  this,  they  were  isolated  from 
the  rest  of  the  world  in  the  Holy  Land  ;  to  teach  this,  they  had 
one  only  appointed  place  of  general  worship  ;  they  were  made 
to  feel  their  entire  dependence  upon  God  ;  Jehovah  punished 
their  transgressions  ;  Jehovah  led  them  to  deliverance.  The 
one,  unseen  God  was  their  only  head  and  leader.  To  this  idea 
they  could  not  rise;  it  was  too  sublime  for  their  grovelling 
minds  to  grasp  ;  it  needed  stronger  faith  than  they  were 
capable  of  exercising.  Like  their  forefathers  in  the  desert, 
who,  distrusting  an  invisible  Deity,  cried  to  Aaron,  "  Make  us 
gods  to  go  before  us,"  they  needed  some  tangible  ruler  and 
commander ;  they  forgot  how  God  had  judged  them,  and 
fought  for  them,  and  upheld  them  when  they  were  true  to  Him. 
Though  they  were  not  wrong  in  believing  that  they  were  some 
time  destined  to  be  governed  by  a  king,  as  prophecy  and  the 
law  and  Hannah's  song  might  have  told  them,  yet  they  were 
misguided  in  asking  for  a  king  such  as  the  heathen  had.  The 
king  they  needed  was  not  a  mere  soldier,  but  a  representative 
of  Jehovah,  who  should  act  in  all  things  under  His  guidance, 
and  by  himself  obeying  God's  law  and  enforcing  obedience  on 
his  subjects,  retain  the  favour  of  the  Lord.  And  for  this  they 
ought  to  have  waited  God's  good  time,  and  not  in  a  sudden 
emergency  to  have  fled  to  human  means  and  the  arm  of 
flesh,  forgetting  that  the  Lord  was  their  king.  Very  natural 
was  it  that  Samuel  should  be  grieved  at  this  declension. 
But  his  wounded  feelings  did  not  make  him  unjust  or 
unmindful  of  the  source  of  comfort  and  wisdom.  He 
referred  the  matter  to  Him  whose  servant  he  was.  He 
prayed  unto  the  Lord  for  guidance.  Very  tender  to  the 
prophet,  though  stern  to  the  erring,  was  the  answer  which  he 
received  :  "  Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  the  people  in  all  that 
they  say  unto  thee  ;  for  they  have  not  rejected  thee,  but  they 
have  rejected  Me,  that  I  should  not  be  king  over  them.  Accord- 
ing to  all  the  works  which  they  have  done  since  the  day  that  I 
brought  them  up  out  of  Egypt  even  unto  this  day,  in  that  they 
have  forsaken    Me,  and  served   other  gods,   so  do   they  also 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND  PROPHET.  75 

unto  thee."  It  had  ever  been  so  with  them  ;  they  always 
undervalued  their  privileges,  depreciated  their  own  institutions, 
desired  to  be  as  the  nations  around  them  ;  and  now,  as  they 
would  not  realize  their  great  prerogative,  God  granted  their 
request  as  a  punishment  for  their  offence.  When  He  is  asked 
for  something  amiss,  God  shows  displeasure  in  granting,  mercy 
in  denying,  the  petition.  So  here,  He  gave  them  a  king  in  His 
anger.'  But  He  bade  the  prophet  first  give  them  warning  and 
a  time  for  re-consideration  by  pointing  out  the  inconveniences 
and  dangers  which  would  attend  the  establishment  of  such  a 
king  as  they  desired.  This  Samuel  proceeded  to  do  calmly 
and  dispassionately.  And  here  we  must  pause  to  note  the  un- 
precedented self-abnegation  of  this  true  patriot.  The  ideal  for 
which  he  had  lived  and  laboured  was  suddenly  shattered  and 
overthrown  ;  the  theocratic  government  which  he  had  believed 
in  and  righteously  administered  was  repudiated  ;  the  subjects  of 
Jehovah  had  revolted  and  spurned  His  allegiance  ;  the  people 
whom  he  had  loved  and  saved  mistrusted  his  government  and 
the  power  of  the  Master  whom  he  served  ;  yet  in  spite  of  all  he 
murmured  not  ;  he  accepted  the  new  situation ;  with  rare  un- 
selfishness he  thought  only  of  what  was  best  for  his  nation,  and 
gave  all  his  energy  to  regulate  the  transition,  and  make  it  con- 
duce to  religious  and  political  amelioration. 

"  Samuel,"  says  Ewald,""  "  is  one  of  the  few  great  men  in  his- 
tory who,  in  critical  times,  by  sheer  force  of  character  and 
invincible  energy,  terminate  the  previous  form  of  a  great  exist- 
ing system,  at  first  against  their  own  will,  but  afterwards,  when 
convinced  of  the  necessity,  with  all  the  force  and  eagerness  of 
their  nature  ;  and  who  then  initiate  a  better  form  with  the 
happiest  results,  though  amid  much  personal  suffering  and 
persecution.  No  new  truth,  stretching  beyond  the  Mosaic 
first  principles,  impels  him  to  action  ;  but  those  principles  he 
grasps  with  a  reality  and  vividness  all  his  own  ;  and  it  was  the 
great  necessity  of  his  time  not  to  let  such  truths  drop  into 
oblivion.  Those  truths,  rising  into  intense  vitality  in  his  own 
spirit,  he  has  the  strength  and  the  self-devotion  to  embody 
afresh  in  the  life  of  his  age,  and  to  re-constitute  the  whole 
people  in  conformity  with  them  in  such  manner  as  the  changed 
conditions  of  the  age   admit.     Similarly,    Luther,   taking  his 

«  Hos.  xiii.  II.     2  "History  of  Israel,"  ii.  191  f^  (Eng.  Trans.,  1867). 


76  SAMUEL   AND  SAUL. 

Stand  only  on  the  fundamental  principles  of  Christianity,  from 
that  recovered  ground  renovated  and  transformed  his  age,  so 
far  as  seemed  possible  under  the  overpowering  weight  of  cir- 
cumstance. Being  rather  a  man  of  daring  and  unwearied 
energy  than  of  thought  and  reflection,  Samuel  at  first  throws 
himself  entirely  into  the  established  system,  and  avails  himself 
of  all  its  latent  powers  and  existing  institutions,  with  the 
happiest  result  in  strengthening  and  renovating  his  people  ; 
giving,  even  up  to  his  mature  years,  by  the  splendour  and 
supremacy  of  his  spirit,  the  last  touch  of  perfection  to  all  that 
lay  within  his  reach.  Here,  against  his  own  preconceptions 
and  wishes,  the  conviction  suddenly  forces  itself  upon  him  that 
the  whole  existing  system  has  become  hopelessly  unsound,  and 
that  the  community  can  be  saved  only  by  a  totally  new  organiza- 
tion. And  at  this  moment,  which  is  to  decide  the  fate  of 
centuries,  he  is  the  hero  required,  who  can  sacrifice  his  previous 
convictions  and  all  the  honours  of  his  rule  to  give  the  age  what 
it  lacks  ;  and  will  take  care  that  this  gift  may  indeed  accomplish 
all  that  can  be  hoped  from  it.  Although  at  first  a  conscientious 
opponent  of  the  new  state  of  things  which  a  higher  necessity 
was  forcing  on  his  people,  yet  from  the  moment  when  he 
recognizes  this  necessity  he  becomes  the  most  devoted  and 
efficient  organizer  of  the  new  age,  just  as  Luther  required  to  be 
first  overpowered  by  the  great  need  of  the  Reformation  before 
he  would  dedicate  his  whole  powers  to  its  service.  Thus 
Samuel  stands  the  spiritual  hero  of  two  very  different  eras, 
equally  illustrious  in  both,  but  especially  happy  to  find  the 
second,  which  he  not  merely  lived  through,  but,  as  it  were, 
created,  an  age  not  of  fermentation,  only,  but  of  progress,  in 
which  the  good  seed  sown  by  him  might  grow  and  flourish. 
For  if  David's  visible  deeds  are  greater  and  more  dazzling  than 
Samuel's,  still  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  David's  blaze  of 
glory  would  have  been  impossible  without  Samuel's  less  con- 
spicuous, but  far  more  influential,  career,  and  that  all  the  great- 
ness of  which  the  following  century  boasts  goes  back  to  him  as 
its  real  author." 

Though  the  idea  which  he  had  fostered  and  delighted  in 
received  this  rude  check,  Samuel,  in  his  unselfish  patriotism, 
utters  no  word  of  reproach,  but  simply  applies  himself  to  fulfil 
the  commands  of  God,  and  to  arrange  the  new  constitution  in 
the  best  possible  manner.   First,  he  tells  the  people  unreservedly 


SAMUEL  JUDGE  AND   PROPHET.  77 

what  the  Lord  had  spoken  to  him  ;  then  he  explains  what  may 
be  the  result  of  the  appointment  of  such  a  king  as  they  desired, 
what  his  rights  would  be,  and  how  he  might  exercise  them. 
Thus  they  could  not  help  learning  that  a  very  grave  responsi- 
bility lay  with  them,  and  that  they  might  live  to  repent  that 
they  had  thrown  aside  his  own  mild  and  just  government,  and 
exchanged  their  republican  liberty  for  the  rule  of  a  despot. 
The  picture  which  he  draws  embraces  the  usual  features  of  the 
government  of  Eastern  kings.  He  tells  them  that  they  must 
expect  great  changes  ;  their  quiet  pastoral  life  would  be  at  an 
end  ;  their  king  would  establish  a  splendid  court,  to  the  main- 
tenance of  which  they  must  contribute  ;  their  sons  would  have 
to  attend  his  state  chariots  as  drivers  and  escort ;  war 
would  be  made  on  a  scale  to  which  they  were  wholly  unac- 
customed with  armies  duly  appointed  and  officered ;  forced 
labour  would  become  the  rule  ;  the  young  men  would  be  com- 
pelled to  cultivate  the  royal  demesnes,  and  to  fabricate  the  arms 
of  the  soldiers  ;  the  young  women  would  be  taken  to  make 
articles  of  luxury  for  the  royal  use,  as  ointments  and  perfumes, 
and  to  perform  servile  offices  in  the  palace.  No  longer  would 
each  man  dwell  securely  under  his  own  vine  and  fig-tree.  The 
king  would  seize  the  choicest  of  their  possessions  to  bestow 
them  upon  his  own  favourites  ;  their  fields,  oliveyards,  and 
vineyards  would  no  more  be  their  own  unalienable  property. 
In  addition  to  the  tithes  payable  to  the  Levites,  the  king  would 
exact  another  tenth  for  his  own  expenses,  and  to  lavish  upon 
the  ministers  of  his  pleasures.  All  the  people  and  all  their 
property,  sheep,  oxen,  asses,  would  be  absolutely  at  his  service  ; 
no  one  and  nothing  would  be  free  from  the  yoke  ;  and  they 
would  learn  too  late  that  they  had  made  a  grievous  mistake. 
They  should  cry  out  in  that  day  because  of  the  king  whom  they 
had  chosen,  and  the  Lord  would  not  hear  them. 

Such  a  warning  might  well  have  led  the  people  to  pause  in 
their  hasty  decision,  and  to  think  again  ere  they  unreservedly 
committed  themselves  to  this  momentous  alteration.  The 
chiefs  did  indeed  deliberate  after  they  had  heard  Samuel's 
message,  but  their  consultation  only  ended  in  a  renewed 
adherence  to  their  former  demand.  They  came  again  to 
Samuel  and  repeated  their  request  even  more  strongly  :  "  We 
will  have  a  king  over  us."  Remonstrance  was  useless,  and  the 
prophet  could  only  convey  their  resolution  to  the  Lord  and 


78  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

await  His  answer.  This  soon  came,  confirming  again  His 
former  command  :  "  Hearken  unto  their  voice,  and  make  them 
a  king."  Samuel  announces  this  response,  and  sends  them 
away,  promising  to  attend  to  the  matter  in  due  time  ;  and  the 
elders,  quite  content  to  leave  the  choice  of  the  king  and  the 
moment  of  his  appointment  to  their  tried  and  trusted  chief, 
returned  to  their  homes,  while  Samuel  waited  for  some  com- 
munication from  God  to  guide  him  in  the  selection  of  the  future 
monarch. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SAUL  ANOINTED  KING. 

Saul ;  his  genealogy — Is  advised  to  consult  Samuel  at  Raniah  concerning 
the  loss  of  his  father's  asses — The  high-place— Samuel  warned  of  the 
coming  of  the  destined  king,  receives  Saul  with  high  honour — 
Intimates  his  future  lot — Privately  anoints  him  king— Meaning  of  such 
unction— Samuel  gives  Saul  three  signs,  and  a  premonition  as  a  trial  of 
faith — Saul  returns  home — Keeps  his  own  counsel — Is  publicly  chosen 
king  at  Mizpah — Divination  by  lot — Saul's  early  policy. 

Some  short  time  after  the  event  narrated  at  the  end  of  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  Samuel  in  some  way  received  a  communication 
from  the  Lord,  that  on  a  certain  day  he  would  meet  the  man 
who  was  destined  to  be  the  king  of  Israel.  When  he  was 
engaged  in  his  usual  occupations  at  his  own  home,  whither  he 
had  retired  after  the  momentous  meeting  of  the  chiefs,  the 
Lord  had  suddenly  whispered  ^  to  him,  saying,  "  To-morrow 
about  this  time  I  will  send  thee  a  man  out  of  the  land  of 
Benjamin,  and  thou  shalt  anoint  him  to  be  prince  over  My 
people  Israel,  and  he  shall  save  My  people  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  Philistines  :  for  I  have  looked  upon  My  people  because 
their  cry  is  come  unto  Me."  The  man  thus  pointed  out  was 
Saul,  afterwards  the  first  king  of  Israel.  The  manner  of  his 
introduction  to  the  prophet  was  what  men  call  chance,  but 
which   we  know  to  be  the  working  of    Divine   Providence, 

^  The  Hebrew  is  :  "  the  Lord  had  uncovered  the  ear  of  Samuel  "  (i  Sam. 
ix.  15),  an  expression  derived  from  the  action  of  pushing  aside  the  hair  or 
head-dress  in  order  more  conveniently  to  whisper  something  in  a  person's 


8o  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

shaping  and  overruling  the  actions  of  men.  This  Saul,  whose 
name  means  "  asked,"  was  the  firstborn  son  of  a  Benjamite 
named  Kish,  who  lived  at  Gibeah,  a  town  on  a  hill,  with  a 
"  curiously  knobbed  and  double  top,"  now  known  as  Tuleil-el- 
Ful,  and  situated  some  six  miles  east  of  Neby  Samwil."^  The 
genealogy  of  Kish  is  very  confused,  owing  partly  to  the  Hebrew 
fashion  of  omitting  links,  and  partly  to  the  enormous  destruc- 
tion of  the  Benjamites  recounted  in  Judges  xx.,  in  which  pro- 
bably many  of  the  tribal  records  perished.  A  comparison  of 
various  authorities  gives  the  following  as  the  most  probable 
stemma  :  i.  Benjamin;  2.  Becher ;  3.  Aphiah  (PAbiah);  4. 
Bechorath  ;  5.  Zeror  (Zur)  ;  6.  Abiel,  or  Jehiel ;  7.  Ner ;  8. 
Kish  (brother  of  Abner)  ;  9.  Saul.  Even  here  some  links  are 
omitted  ;  for  in  i  Sam.  x.  21,  we  hear  of  the  family  of  Matri, 
or  the  Matrites,  as  being  that  to  which  Saul  belonged,  but  the 
name  does  not  occur  in  the  existing  genealogy.  This  Kish  was 
a  man  of  opulence,  and  his  son  Saul  was  remarkable  for  his 
stature  and  beauty,  being  now  some  thirty-five  years  old.'  It 
chanced  one  day  that  the  she-asses  of  Kish,  kept  for  breeding 
purposes,  and  of  considerable  value  in  that  primitive  com- 
munity, had  strayed,  and  Saul,  with  one  of  his  father's  servants, 
was  sent  to  seek  for  them.  In  an  unenclosed  and  thinly 
populated  country  it  was  no  easy  task  to  track  the  wandering 
animals,  even  for  these  two  experienced  men.  The  servant,  so 
called,  was  no  slave,  but  a  trusty  and  favoured  dependant.  If 
tradition  is  right  in  considering  him  to  be  Doeg,  the  Edomite, 
afterwards  the  ruthless  executioner  of  Saul's  cruel  command 
concerning  the  slaughter  of  the  priests  of  Nob, 3  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  habits  of  cattle,  and  might  be  trusted  with 
much  confidence  to  find  the  straying  asses.  Leaving  Gibeah, 
Saul  and  his  servant  first  passed  over  the  range  of  the  mountains 
of  Ephraim,  which  ran  into  the  territory  of  Benjamin,  then  to 
"  the  land  of  Shalisha,"  or  Baalshalisha,  "  three  land,"  situate 
some  fifteen  miles  north  of  Lydda,  and  so  named  because  three 
valleys  there  converge  in  the  Wady  Karawa ;  thence  they  pro- 
ceeded to  the  wild  country  round  Tayibeh,  known  as  Shalim, 

*  Robinson,  "  Palestine,  ii.  118;  "  Further  Researches,"  286.  Stanley, 
"  Sinai  and  Palestine,"  213  f.     This  identification,  however,  is  not  certain. 

=  This  is  deduced  from  the  fact  that  J  onathan,  his  son,  is  mentioned  as 
grown  up  some  two  years  later. 

3  I  Sam.  xxiL  x8. 


SAUL  ANOINTED    KING.  8l 

'*  the  haunt  of  jackals  ; "  thence  to  the  '*  land  of  Zuph,"  in  which 
lay  Ramah,  the  home  of  Samuel.  But  in  all  this  long  and  weary 
journey,  they  had  not  found  the  lost  asses.  It  was  now  the 
third  day  since  they  had  started,  and  Saul,  who  had  strong 
affections,  whatever  faults  in  his  character  afterwards  developed 
themselves,  began  to  think  of  his  father's  feelings  at  their  long 
absence,  and  desirous  of  sparing  him  anxiety,  proposed  to  the 
servant  to  return  at  once,  though  their  expedition  had  been 
fruitless,  "  lest,"  as  he  said,  "  my  father  leave  caring  for  the 
asses,  and  take  thought  for  us."  The  servant,  however,  con- 
sidered that  there  was  still  one  chance  left  of  recovering  the  lost 
animals.  They  might  consult  a  wise  man  and  ask  his  advice 
Just  before  them  rose  the  hill  of  Ramathaim-Zophim,  and  the 
attendant  opportunely  remembered  that  in  that  city  dwelt  a  man 
of  God,  highly  honoured  and  respected,  and  one  whose  state- 
ments always  proved  true  ;  he  suggested  that  they  should  have 
recourse  to  him  before  giving  up  the  quest  as  hopeless.  He 
does  not  speak  as  if  he  had  known  Samuel  by  name,  and  Saul 
seems  to  be  equally  ignorant.  One  calls  him  the  "man  of 
God,"  and  the  other  "  the  seer."  The  fact,  if  fact  it  were, 
would  be  most  perplexing.  Gibeah  was  not  very  far  distant  from 
Ramah ;  and  that  Samuel,  the  eminent  prophet  and  the  chief 
ruler  of  Israel,  should  have  been  unknown  by  name  to  Saul 
and  his  domestic,  is  quite  incredible.  That  they  had  never  met 
before  is  plain  from  what  happened  subsequently,  when  Saul 
speaks  to  him  as  to  a  stranger,  and  inquires  the  way  to  the 
seer's  house  (i  Sam.  ix.  i8)  ;  but  how  are  we  to  account  for  this 
apparent  ignorance  ?  Probably,  the  personal  name  was  almost 
forgotten  in  the  office,  and  it  was  by  this  title  he  was  generally 
known,  the  people  near  Ramah  calling  him  "  the  seer,"  the 
Benjamites  referring  to  him  as  the  "  man  of  God."  Another 
alternative  is,  that  the  dialogue  between  Saul  and  his  servant  is 
imaginary,  founded  upon  the  facts  that  came  afterwards  into 
prominence,  and  not  to  be  taken  as  literally  occurring.  We 
have  a  gloss  in  verse  9  to  account  for  the  use  of  the  word 
roeh,  "seer,"  as  applied  to  Samuel,  instead  of  the  time- 
honoured  term  nabiy  "  prophet."  Roeh^  which  at  a  later 
period  came  to  include  not  only  inspired  persons,  but 
pretenders  to  occult  science,  was  used  in  the  highest 
sense  in  Samuel's  days ;  but  as  it  had  degenerated  in 
meaning    at   the  time   when  the   editor  of  this  book    wrote, 

7 


82  SAMUEL  AND    SAUL. 

he  is  careful,  while  retaining  it  in  the  text,  to  explain 
its  true  meaning.  The  narrative  exhibits  the  simplicity 
which  characterizes  such  primaeval  stories.  The  subsequent 
conduct  of  Saul  and  his  servant  shows  ignorance  of  Samuel 
and  his  circumstances,  and  the  conversation  attributed  to  them 
prepares  the  reader  for  what  follows.  It  is,  as  a  wise  man,  that 
the  attendant  wishes  to  consult  Samuel,  as  one,  who  by  his 
more  than  human  knowledge,  might  direct  them  in  their 
perplexity.  If  he  and  his  master  knew  whom  they  were  to  see, 
and  were  aware  of  the  important  offices  which  he  held,  it  speaks 
well  for  the  kindness  and  affability  of  the  great  Judge,  that  they 
should  have  confidence  to  approach  him,  and  ask  advice  in  so 
trivial  a  matter.  It  would  appear  that  it  was  no  new  thing  to 
resort  to  seers  for  consultation  in  private  affairs,  and  that  it  was 
customary  to  offer  a  present  on  such  occasions.  Whether  the 
practice  led  to  chicanery,  and  whether  there  was  at  this  time  a 
class  of  pretended  soothsayers,  cannot  be  decided.  Saul  could 
hardly  have  placed  Samuel  in  any  such  category,  though  he  is 
willing  to  appeal  to  him  on  a  business  which  any  mere  sooth- 
sayer might  have  decided.  The  present  case,  at  any  rate,  was 
divinely  ordered,  and  the  answer  of  the  seer  betrays  inspira- 
tion. Having  decided  to  consult  the  seer,  Saul  suddenly 
remembers  that  he  has  nothing  to  offer,  no  money  with 
him,  not  even  a  loaf  of  bread.  To  approach  a  great 
man  in  the  East  without  a  present  is  an  unheard-of  pro- 
ceeding ;  and  we  know  from  Ezekiel's  contemptuous  allu- 
sion to  "  handfuls  of  barley  and  pieces  of  bread," '  that  false 
prophets  were  rewarded  by  the  deluded  people  for  their  lying 
oracles.  The  messengers  who  sought  Balaam  took  the  rewards 
of  divination  in  their  hand  ;  the  wife  of  Jeroboam  who  went  to 
consult  the  prophet  Ahijah  concerning  the  sickness  of  her  son, 
took  with  her  a  present  of  bread  and  honey.  We  need  not 
suppose  that  Samuel  received  payment  for  his  counsel  like  a 
heathen  soothsayer  ;  rather  it  was  in  satisfaction  of  the  usual 
etiquette  that  Saul  was  anxious  to  make  some  offering  to  one 
in  his  exalted  position.  The  difficulty  about  the  present  is 
solved  by  the  servant,  who  suddenly  remembers  that  he  has 
the  fourth  part  of  a  shekel  of  silver,  and  this  he  will  gladly  offer 

*  Ezek.   xiii.  19.     Comp.  Gen.  xliii.   11  ;  Numb.  xxii.  7,  17  ;  i  Kings 
xiv.  3  ;  Isa.  Ivii.  9. 


SAUL  ANOINTED   KING.  83 

for  the  desired  information.  What  the  exact  sum  was  according 
to  modern  calculation,  it  is  not  possible  to  determine.  Van 
Lennep  considers  the  shekel  to  have  been  worth  seventy-five 
cents  or  2s.  7}4d^  But  silver  was  scarce  in  those  days,  and  the 
value  of  money  was  considerably  higher,  nor  was  the  weight 
arranged  upon  any  settled  system.  Commentators,  reasoning 
rather  upon  the  statement  in  the  text  than  upon  any  satisfactory 
grounds,  have  supposed  that  the  coined  shekel  was  divided  into 
four  quarters  by  a  cross,  and  actually  broken  when  needed. 
The  piece  thus  separated  would  be  somewhat  larger  than  our 
sixpence,  and  would  have  been  deemed  a  considerable  fee  at 
that  time.  Whatever  may  have  been  its  value,  the  servant  is 
ready  to  part  with  it  as  bakshish  to  the  seer.  So,  relieved  in 
mind,  they  went  unto  the  city,  where  the  man  of  God  dwelt. 
The  name  of  this  city  is  not  given,  but  we  have  good  reason  to 
suppose  it  to  be  Samuel's  native-place,  Ramah.  There  are 
difficulties  in  the  identification,  but  these  are  not  insurmount- 
able. For  instance,  it  is  said  that  Saul,  on  his  return  home, 
passed  Rachel's  tomb,  which  in  Gen.  xxxv.  19  is  placed  near 
Bethlehem.  If  Gibeah  were  the  modern  Jeba,  a  village  eight 
miles  south-west  of  Bethlehem,  the  route  would  be  obvious; 
but,  identified  as  Gibeah  of  Saul  is  with  Tuleil-el-Ful,  the 
travellers  must  have  made  a  most  unnecessary  circuit  to  return 
home  by  Jerusalem  and  Rachel's  sepulchre.  There  may  have 
been  reasons  that  made  the  longer  journey  desirable,  and  now 
that  his  father's  mind  was  set  at  rest  concerning  the  lost  asses, 
Saul  may  have  thought  a  little  further  delay  was  of  no  con- 
sequence. There  is  also  some  doubt  as  to  the  position  of 
Rachel's  sepulchre.  In  Jeremiah  xxxi.  15,  it  is  spoken  of  in 
connection  with  Ramah  :  "  A  voice  is  heard  in  Ramah,  lamen- 
tation and  bitter  weeping,  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children." 
■yhs^  passage  is  quoted  to  the  same  effect  by  the  evangelist, 
Mav^  ii.  18.  Other  difficulties  have  been  found  in  the  expres- 
sions used  in  the  text,  where  it  is  not  said  that  Samuel  lived  in 
the  j;^'iace,  but  only  that  he  was  there,  accidentally  as  it  might  be."" 
But  the  fact  is,  that  there  is  no  verb  at  all  in  the  Hebrew,  and  we 
may  supply  equally  well  "  dwells  "  or  "  is."  That  it  was  a  dwell- 
ing-place of  Samuel,  that  it  was  situated  on  a  hill,  that  there  was 
an  altar  there,  and  that  it  was  well  known  as  the  home  of  the 

»  P.  35.  »  I  Sam.  ix.  6,  10. 


84  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

man  of  God,  all  these  facts  point  to  Ramah  as  being  the  un- 
named city. 

As  they  approached  Ramah,  Saul  and  his  servant  were  met 
by  maidens  coming  to  draw  water  from  the  spring  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  on  which  the  city  was  built,  and  inquired  of  them  if 
the  seer  was  there  at  this  time.  So  busy  a  man,  one  so 
occupied  with  affairs  of  consequence,  might  naturally  be  absent 
from  home  at  times,  and  Saul  was  much  relieved  to  hear 
from  the  maidens,  who,  in  girlish  fashion,  were  eager  to  impart 
information  to  the  strangers,  that  on  that  very  day  he  had 
returned  home,  and  was  even  now  about  to  go  up  to  the  high- 
place  yonder  to  offer  sacrifice,  and  preside  at  the  festival. 
They  added  that  if  Saul  made  haste,  he  would  catch  him  in 
his  own  house  within  the  city,  before  he  ascended  the  hill  to 
perform  his  public  function.  This  ceremony  was  a  feast 
connected  with  a  sacrifice  ;  it  was  celebrated  on  the  Bamah,  a 
high-place  situated  on  the  top  of  the  hill  where  Samuel  had 
erected  an  altar.  It  was  Samuel's  custom  to  say  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving,  and  to  bless  the  meal  before  the  invited  guests  sat 
down  in  the  large  room  near  the  altar  whereon  the  peace-offer- 
ings were  offered.  Grace  before  meat  is  a  custom  of  hoar  an- 
tiquity, inherited  by  Christians  directly  from  Judaism.  A 
natural  instinct  of  gratitude  led  even  heathens  to  make  a 
libation  of  the  wine  which  they  were  about  to  drink.  Now 
Samuel  had  had  Divine  intimation,  in  answer  to  his  continued 
prayers,  that  he  should  this  day  meet  the  man  designed  by  God 
to  be  king  of  Israel.  Accordingly  he  made  all  needful  prepara- 
tion for  this  momentous  occasion.  He  arranged  the  sacrifice 
and  the  consequent  feast,  and  invited  thirty  of  the  chief  men 
of  the  place  to  assemble  there,  and  even  had  a  certain  choice 
piece  of  meat  set  aside  for  the  distinguished  stranger.  At  the 
time  appointed  the  prophet  left  his  house  in  the  city  and  walked 
toward  the  gate  to  ascend  the  hill  to  the  high-place.  Sudd><l ''/ 
he  sees  before  him  a  man  of  commanding  presence  and  remaiK- 
able  beauty  ;  he  doubts  within  himself  whether  or  not  tijs  is 
the  destined  monarch.  His  hesitation  is  soon  solved  ;  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  whispers  in  his  heart  :  "Behold  the  man  of 
whom  I  spake  to  thee  !  this  same  shall  have  authority  over  My 
people."  At  this  moment  Saul  comes  up,  and,  ignorant  of  the 
person  whom  he  is  addressing,  asks  Samuel  if  he  can  tell  him 
where  is  the  seer's  house.     "  I  am  he,"  answers  Samuel  :  "go 


SAUL  ANOINTED  KING.  §5 

up  before  me  unto  the  high-place,  for  ye  shall  eat  with  me  to- 
day :  and  in  the  morning  I  will  let  thee  go,  and  will  tell  thee 
all  that  is  in  thine  heart."  Thus  he  prepares  the  wondering 
stranger  for  the  great  announcement  which  he  has  to  make  ; 
and  to  show  Saul  that  he  might  trust  to  his  prophetic  powers 
by  which  his  secret  thoughts  were  known,  he  adds  :  ''  And  as 
for  thy  asses  that  were  lost  three  days  ago,  set  not  thy  mind  on 
them  ;  for  they  are  found."  A  mysterious  intimation  followed 
that  some  great  change  was  about  to  happen  to  him.  The  in- 
formation was  conveyed  with  much  obscurity,  but  it  evidently 
meant  to  announce  that  the  possession  of  great  power  was 
destined  to  be  his.  The  prophet's  language,  rightly  paraphrased 
and  understood,  is  this:  "  Why  troublest  thou  thyself  about  a 
drove  of  she-asses  or  the  concerns  of  a  petty  farm  in  Mount 
Ephraim  ?  Something  much  higher  should  fill  thy  thoughts  ; 
for  to  whom  does  all  that  is  desirable  in  Israel  belong?  Is  it 
not  to  thee  and  to  all  thy  father's  house  ?  "  Here  was  indeed  a 
hard  saying,  but  coming  from  the  lips  of  one  so  revered  and 
high  in  dignity,  and  of  unquestioned  veracity,  it  carried  with  it 
an  air  of  reality  which  awed  while  it  amazed  the  listener.  Such 
a  future,  thus  dimly  revealed,  had  never  entered  Saul's  imagina- 
tion ;  no  such  dream  had  ever  disturbed  the  even  tenour  of  his 
uneventful  life  ;  and  he  can  scarcely  credit  the  import  of  the 
prophet's  words,  or  deem  them  more  than  the  hyperbolical 
compliment  of  a  courteous  chieftain.  Modestly  he  replies  : 
"  Am  not  I  a  Benjamite  of  the  smallest  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  ? 
and  my  family  the  least  of  all  the  families  of  the  tribe  of  Ben- 
jamin? Wherefore  then  speakest  thou  to  me  after  this  manner?" 
The  tribe  of  Benjamin  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  cruel 
destruction  inflicted  upon  it  some  years  before,'  and  the  family 
of  Kish,  though  rich  in  rustic  possessions,  was  of  no  great 
account ;  how  should  a  member  of  such  a  clan  be  singled  out 
to  be  the  recipient  of  those  great  promises  ?  Samuel  gave  no 
answer  to  the  stranger's  question.  He  had  awakened  high 
thoughts,  he  had  put  grand  aspirations  into  his  mind,  and  he 
desired  to  let  these  work  before  he  unfolded  more  of  the  Divine 
purpose.  Meantime  he  conducted  Saul  and  his  servant  (for  the 
latter  was  thus  honoured  as  well  as  his  master)  to  the  chamber 
where  the  feast  was  prepared  and  the  guests  were  assembled. 

*  Judges  XX.  and  xxi. 


86  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

There  Saul  was  placed  in  the  seat  of  honour,  not  merely  as 
being  a  stranger  (which  would  not  have  involved  any  such 
arrangement),  but  on  account  of  the  eminence  which  his  desig- 
nation gave  him  in  the  seer's  eyes.  His  servant,  too,  shared 
in  this  elevation  as  being  attendant  on  so  important  a  personage. 
The  portion  reserved  for  him,  which  Josephus  calls  "  the  royal 
portion,"'  was  then  placed  before  him.  It  was  the  shoulder 
with  all  the  fat  which  was  not  burned  upon  the  altar.  If  this 
was  the  right  shoulder,  it  was  that  portion  which  appertained 
to  the  priest,  and  could  only  have  been  given  to  a  layman  by 
the  prophet's  authority  overruling  the  usual  ritual  observance. 
As  such  it  would  have  been  a  mark  of  the  highest  distinction. 
The  cook  who  brought  it  in  speaks  confidentially  about  the  cir- 
cumstance ; '  *'  Behold,"  he  says,  '*  that  which  hath  been  re- 
served is  set  before  thee  !  eat ;  for  it  hath  been  kept  for  thee 
unto  the  appointed  time  of  which  Samuel  spoke,  saying,  I  have 
invited  the  people."  When  the  feast  was  over  and  the  com- 
pany dismissed,  Samuel  brought  Saul  back  with  him  to  his 
house  in  the  city,  having  induced  him  to  delay  taking  his  home- 
ward journey  till  the  following  day,  and  then,  for  an  oppor- 
tunity of  quiet  conversation,  he  conducted  the  traveller  to  the 
flat  roof  of  his  house.  These  flat  roofs  were  a  favourite  place 
of  resort,  not  so  much  for  privacy  (for  as  the  enjoined  battle- 
ments 3  were  not  very  high,  persons  assembled  there  were  readily 
conspicuous),  but  as  secure  against  eavesdropping  and  un- 
desired  companionship.  Here  the  two  communed  together  in 
peace.  The  prophet  did  not  unfold  his  purpose  fully,  leaving 
the  more  complete  announcement  for  the  morrow ;  but  he  could 
explain  to  the  future  king  his  view  of  the  state  of  the  people  and 
the  country,  and  tell  of  his  own  long  struggle  to  amend  matters  ; 
he  could  speak  sadly  of  the  religious  and  political  degradation,  of 
the  inability  to  offer  any  effectual  resistance  to  enemies,  of  the 
need  of  a  vigorous  leader,  obedient  to  the  commands  of  the 
Lord  and  devoted  to  His  service.     He  could  endeavour  to  fill 

'  "  Antiq.  "  vi.  4,1. 

"  The  Authorized  Version  of  i  Sam.  ix.  24,  in  agreement  with  the  Sept. 
and  Vulg.,  inserts  the  word  Samuel  :  "And  Samuel  said,  Behold,"  etc. 
There  is  no  "Samuel"  in  the  Hebrew,  and  it  is  plain  that  the  Syriac  and 
Chaldee  are  correct  in  making  the  cook  the  speaker.  So  "  Speak.  Comm." 
in  loc. 

3  Deut.  xxii.  8. 


SAUL  ANOINTED   ICING.  87 

the  soul  of  his  auditor  with  a  holy  ambition  to  be  instrumental 
in  aiding  the  great  work  that  had  to  be  done  ;  he  could  set 
before  him  the  great  principles  of  the  Theocracy  lately  over- 
looked or  neglected  ;  he  could  define  the  remedies  which  alone 
could  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  present  crisis.  Hitherto  Saul 
had  taken  no  interest  in  public  affairs  ;  occupied  solely  in  the 
trivial  matters  of  his  father's  farm,  and  in  his  own  domestic 
concerns,  he  had  thought  little  about  his  country's  fortunes.  In 
his  retired  life  he  knew  nothing  of  the  religious  or  political 
movements  that  had  taken  place,  and  he  needed  awakening  to 
higher  aspirations  and  nobler  hopes,  that  the  fuller  development 
of  his  destiny  might  not  find  him  altogether  unprepared.  After 
this  momentous  conversation  Saul  had  a  couch  prepared  for  his 
guest  on  the  roof,  and  left  him,  full  of  thought  and  wonder,  to 
repose.  **  During  a  large  part  of  the  year,"  says  Dr.  Thomson/ 
*'  the  roof  is  the  most  agreeable  place  about  the  establishment, 
especially  in  the  morning  and  evening.  There  multitudes  sleep 
during  the  summer,  in  all  places  where  malaria  does  not  render 
it  dangerous.  This  custom  is  very  ancient.  Saul,  young, 
vigorous,  but  weary  with  his  long  search,  would  desire  no  better 
place  to  sleep  than  on  the  roof."  Very  early  in  the  following 
morning  he  was  awakened  by  the  old  man,  who  bade  him  pre- 
pare for  his  journey,  and  himself  accompanied  him  out  of  the 
city.  This  was  an  honour  that  still  more  astonished  Saul, 
already  discomposed  by  the  distinguished  reception  which  he 
had  encountered,  and  the  obscure  hints  of  a  great  future  opened 
before  him.  As  soon  as  they  emerged  from  the  town  and  were 
now  alone  in  the  open  country,  Samuel  desired  Siul  to  send  on 
his  servant,  that  he  might  commit  to  Saul's  own  ear  the  word  of 
the  Lord  which  he  was  commissioned  to  impart.  It  was  a  solemn 
moment,  unto  which  all  the  previous  events  and  actions  had 
led.  What  a  chain  of  so-called  accidents  conducted  to  this  con- 
summation !  The  casual  straying  of  some  asses,  the  sending  of 
Saul  to  track  them,  the  servant's  suggestion  to  consult  the  seer, 
the  presence  of  Samuel  in  the  city,  the  meeting  of  Saul  and  the 

'  "  Land  and  Book,"  p.  39.  Instead  of  "he  communed  with  Saul  up- 
on the  housetop,"  the  LXX.  read  :  "  they  spread  a  couch  for  Saul  on  the 
housetop,  and  he  lay  down"  (i  Sam.  ix.  25).  In  the  following  verse  the 
rendering  of  the  Authorized  Version  is  not  correct,  "  Samuel  called  Saul  to 
the  top  of  the  house."  This  should  be  :  "  Samuel  called  to  Saul  upon  the 
housetop." 


88  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

prophet,  the  banquet  to  which  the  stranger  was  invited — all 
these  occurrences,  seemingly  trivial  and  accidental,  were  or- 
dained or  overruled  by  God  to  effect  His  intended  design. 
Without  further  explanation,  the  old  prophet  suddenly  halted, 
and  called  on  his  companion  to  stand  still  before  him.  Then 
he  took  from  his  bosom  a  vial,  one  of  those  long,  narrow- necked 
vessels  from  which  the  contents  flowed  slowly  in  drops.  This 
was  filled  with  the  holy  oil  which  was  used  in  the  inauguration 
of  the  high  priest,  and  the  prophet  poured  it  upon  Saul's  head 
in  token  that  he  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God  and 
represented  His  power  and  authority,  and  thus  became  the 
Lord's  anointed.  The  Jews  were  accustomed  to  the  idea  of 
anointing  a  king  even  before  this  time,  as  we  may  gather  from 
Jotham's  parable  (Judg.  ix.  8),  in  which  the  trees  are  made  to 
go  forth  to  anoint  a  king  over  them.  Afterwards  it  became 
customary  to  perform  this  ceremony  at  the  introduction  of  a  new 
dynasty,  or  where  the  succession  was  disputed.  Thus  we  read  of 
the  anointing  of  David,  Absalom,  Solomon,  Joash,  Jehoahaz,and 
Jehu  ;  but  ordinarily  sovereigns  were  not  thus  honoured,  the 
unction  of  their  regular  predecessor  being  considered  sufficient 
dedication,  and  the  term  "  the  Lord's  anointed  "  applied  to  all 
legitimate  monarchs,  whether  formally  anointed  with  the  conse- 
crated oil  or  not.  The  ceremony  was  of  great  significance.  It  im- 
ported that  the  highest  offices  were  centred  in  the  person  thus 
treated  ;  it  was  his  consecration  and  characteristic  ;  it  conferred 
upon  him  a  majesty  and  a  sanctity  such  as  no  one  else  in  the 
community  possessed,  and  which  made  his  person  inviolable, 
and  crimes  against  him  treason  to  the  Lord  whose  vicegerent  he 
was.  Having  thus  designated  Saul  for  the  throne,  Samuel 
kissed  him  in  token  of  homage  and  allegiance,  even  as  it  is  said 
in  the  Psalm  (ii.  12),  "  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  He  be  angry."  At 
the  royal  unction  and  the  kiss  of  fealty  from  this  venerated 
judge  and  prophet,  Saul's  amazement  could  not  be  restrained. 
His  looks,  if  not  his  tongue,  asked  what  it  all  meant.  And 
Samuel  answers,  putting  his  reply  in  the  form  of  a  question  : 
"  Is  it  not  that  the  Lord  hath  anointed  thee  to  be  prince  over 
His  inheritance?"  "And,"  as  the  LXX.  add,  "thou  shalt deliver 
His  people  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies  that  are  round 
about."  Israel  was  the  peculiar  inheritance  of  the  Lord,  being 
especially  so  named  in  the  Law  and  in  Moses'  song,'  and  there- 

«  Deut.  ix.  26,  29  ;  xxxii.  8  f. 


SAUL  ANOINTED   KING.  89 

fore  no  one  could  legitimately  reign  over  it  who  was  not  directly 
called.  We  may  well  remark  the  unselfish  obedience  of  Samuel 
to  the  Divine  voice,  and  the  humility  which  led  him  to  pay 
these  marks  of  respect  to  one  so  insignificant  and  unknown, 
and  who  was  about  to  supersede  him  in  his  office.  And  now, 
as  Saul  cannot  believe  in  his  great  destiny,  and  still  looks  in- 
credulous, in  order  to  assure  him  of  the  reality  of  all  that  hap- 
pened, that  the  unction  had  been  bestowed  by  Divine  authority, 
and  that  his  grand  future  was  no  dream,  Samuel  gives  him 
three  signs  which  no  one  uninspired  could  have  known,  which 
should  surely  come  to  pass  directly,  and  which  should  afford 
to  him  hints  for  future  guidance.  Thus  were  faith  and  duty  to 
be  supported.  The  first  sign  was  this  :  he  should  find  two 
men  "  by  Rachel's  tomb  in  the  border  of  Benjamin  at  Zelzah," 
who  should  tell  him  that  the  lost  asses  were  found,  and  that 
Kish  was  rendered  very  anxious  at  the  long  absence  of  his  son, 
and  was  sorrowing  for  him.  The  position  of  Rachel's  tomb 
was  well  known,  and  is  traditionally  shown  one  mile  north  of 
Bethlehem,  though  if  in  the  territory  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  it 
could  scarcely  have  been  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Bethlehem, 
as  the  words  of  Gen.  xxxv.  19  would  lead  one  to  suppose.  It 
seems  scarcely  probable  that  so  well-known  a  site  should  be 
defined  by  naming  Zelzah,  a  place  nowhere  else  mentioned,  and 
the  identification  of  which  has  baffled  all  travellers.  Wilson,* 
indeed,  fixes  it  at  Beit-jala,  west  of  Bethlehem,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  traditionary  Kabbet  Rahil,  or  tomb  of  Rachel  ; 
but  the  identification  is  quite  arbitrary  and  rests  on  no  solid 
grounds.  One  would  have  expected  not  a  proper  name  here, 
but  an  appellation  ;  as  in  the  case  of  the  other  signs,  Samuel 
indicates  not  only  the  locality  generally,  but  the  very  spot 
intended,  by  adding  some  notable  object  as  a  closer  definition  ; 
thus  he  speaks  of  "the  oak  of  Tabor,"  and  "the  monument  of 
the  Philistines."  So  in  the  present  case  we  should  expect  to 
find  mentioned  not  a  town,  but  some  object,  as  a  rock  or  tree, 
to  obviate  all  mistake  about  the  place  intended.  The  reading 
in  the  text  is  most  uncertain.  The LXX. give  "leaping  violently," 
i.e.,  probably,  taking  part  in  some  religious  ceremony  of  which 
dancing  was  an  accompaniment,  or,  as  Ewald  would  explain 
the  words,  "  in  great  haste,"  referring  to  the  messengers  bring- 

»  "Lands  of  the  Bible,''  i.  141,  quoted  by  Dean  Payne  Smith  cm  Sam.  x.  2. 


90  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

ing  the  news  of  the  recovery  of  the  asses.  Klostermann  would 
read:  ''from  Gibeah  of  Benjamin,"  arguing  that  the  men  must 
have  come  from  that  place,  to  be  able  to  bring  the  news  which 
they  reported.  The  Vulgate  has,  "in  the  south,"  or,  "at  mid- 
day." We  may  therefore  regard  the  words  "  at  Zelzah  "  as  an 
erroneous  reading,  though  we  are  unable  to  supply  the  original 
expression.  This  first  sign,  which  duly  came  to  pass,  confirmed 
the  information  which  the  prophet  had  previously  given,  and 
led  Saul  to  believe  in  the  high  destiny  to  which  the  prophet's 
words  and  actions  had  called  him.  Henceforward  he  was  a 
new  man,  filled  with  new  hopes  and  aims,  rising  to  meet  the 
lot  that  awaited  him  ;  as  it  is  said  very  forcibly  in  the  Hebrew 
text :  ^  "it  was  so  that  when  he  had  turned  his  back  to  go  from 
Samuel,  God  turned  to  him  another  heart,"  i.e.^  changed  him 
and  gave  him  another  heart.  He  was  the  careless  herdsman, 
the  petty,  self-interested  farmer,  no  longer  ;  he  had  become  a 
patriot,  a  statesman,  a  hero.  Such  was  the  first  sign.  Its 
object  was  to  free  him  from  the  cares  incident  to  his  former 
humble  life,  and  thus  to  leave  his  mind  open  to  more  important 
interests.  The  second  was  as  follows  :  near  the  oak  or  tere- 
binth of  Tabor  (a  spot  now  wholly  unknown),^  he  should  meet 
three  men  going  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  ancient  shrine  of  Bethel, 
hallowed  by  the  worship  of  Abraham  and  Jacob  and  all  their 
forefathers.  These  men  would  be  carrying,  as  offerings,  to  the 
holy  place,  three  kids,  three  loaves,  and  a  bottle  of  wine  ;  they 
would  salute  him,  giving  him  tht^  "  Peace  be  with  you  "  of  the 
friendly  traveller,  and,  stranger  as  he  was,  would  present  him 
with  two  loaves,  intimating  that  he  was  worthy  of  all  respect, 
even  to  the  extent  of  sharing  in  the  offerings  destined  for  God's 
service.  And  he  should  accept  these  at  their  hands  ;  nothing 
doubting  that  he,  who  had  duly  received  the  unction  hitherto 
appropriated  to  the  priests,  was  taking  only  his  due  when  he 
admitted  the  homage  thus  paid  to  the  Lord's  anointed.  Here, 
too,  was  a  token  that  the  Lord  Himself  would  sustain  him  if  he 
continued  in  His  way.  This  sign  also  happened  according  to 
Samuel's  word. 

*  I  Sam.  X.  9. 

=  Ewald  and  others  maintain  that  "  Tabor  "  is  another  form  of  Deborah, 
or  sliould  be  so  altered,  and  that  this  terebinth  is  the  Allon-bachuth 
under  which  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  was  buried  (Gen.  xxxv.  8).  Keil 
has  given  good  reasons  for  doubting  this  identification,  though  doubtless  it 
is  a  very  attractive  idea. 


SAUL  ANOINTED   KING.  91 

The  third  sign  was  to  befall  him  close  to  his  own  home 
at  Gibeah/  near  a  famous  monument  ^  of  the  Philistines, 
erected  either  in  memory  of  some  past  victory  (as  Sesostris 
raised  pillars  in  conquered  countries),^  or  in  honour  of  some 
dead  hero.  At  this  spot  he  should  be  met  by  a  company  of 
prophets  engaged  in  their  religious  exercises,  and  should  feel 
himself  constrained  to  take  part  in  their  services.  All  so 
occurred.  As  he  approached  the  place,  a  number  of  pupils  from 
the  School  of  the  Prophets  which  Samuel  had  established  there 
were  even  then  coming  down  from  the  high  place  above  the 
city,  following  a  band  of  musicians,  and  chanting  a  psalm  or 
hymn  as  they  went.  The  musical  instruments  used  are  par- 
ticularly mentioned.  There  was  the  psaltery  {jiebel),  a  harp 
without  a  third  side,  of  ten  strings,  played  by  the  hand,  and  of 
very  deep  tone :  the  tabret  [toph),  a  tambourine  ;  the  pipe 
{chain),  a  flute  or  a  reed  instrument  like  the  clarinet  ;  and  the 
harp  {kinnor)  of  eight  or  nine  strings,  played  by  a  plectrum,  a 
small  piece  of  bone  or  ivory  used  instead  of  the  tips  of  fingers. 
These  four  instruments  were  often  employed  on  festive  occasions, 
as  we  find  them  mentioned  in  the  account  of  the  feasts  of 
dissolute  Israelites.'*  Now  when  Saul  met  this  company,  and 
saw  their  enthusiasm,  and  heard  their  stirring  music,  his  heart 
was  strangely  moved,  the  Spirit  of  God  came  upon  him,  and 
he,  untrained  as  he  was,  joined  with  all  his  powers  in  the 
ecstatic  songs  and  praises  which  issued  from  the  prophets'  lips. 


«  "The  hill  of  God,"  i  Sam.  x.  5,  ought  to  be  rendered  "The  Gibeah 
of  God,"  Saul's  own  Gibeah  being  thus  named  on  account  of  the  well- 
known  high  place  near  the  town. 

^  The  Authorized  and  Revised  Versions  give  :  "  where  was  the  garrison 
of  the  Philistines."  So  the  Vulgate,  "statio."  The  LXX.  translate  the 
word,  "height,"  or  "erection,"  thus  also  the  Syriac  ;  the  Chaldee  gives 
"leader";  the  Arabic,  "column."  It  seems  improbable  that  the  Philis- 
tines should  have  had  a  military  post  in  Gibeah  itself ;  and  if  they  had,  it 
would  have  been  superfluous  to  announce  the  fact  to  Saul  in  order  to 
indicate  the  spot  where  he  was  to  meet  the  prophets.  That  indication 
could  only  be  given  by  pointing  to  some  definite  object,  e.g.,  a  pillar,  a 
stone,  a  tree.  The  same  word,  netsib,  is  used.  Gen.  xix.  26,  for  "the 
pillar"  of  salt  into  which  Lot's  wife  was  turned.  See  Hummelauer  on 
I  Sam.  X.  5.  The  word  for  "garrison "  throughout  chapters  xiii.  and  xiv 
is  different. 

3  Herod,  ii.  102.  4  Isa,  v.  12. 


92  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

This  was  indeed  a  new  thing  in  the  life  of  Saul,  and  astonished 
his  fellow-townsmen  and  those  who  had  known  him  all  his  life. 
"  What  is  this  ?  "  they  cried,  "  that  hath  happened  to  the  son  of 
Kish  ?  Is  Saul  also  among  the  prophets  ?  "  They  were  utterly 
amazed  that  one  of  no  cultivation,  a  rustic  with  a  mind  hitherto 
occupied  only  in  petty  concerns,  should  vie  with  these  highly 
educated  youths,  and  take  a  ready  part  in  their  exercises. 
They  did  not  recognize  the  Divine  influence  which  had  effected 
this  sudden  change.  But  one  inhabitant,  wiser  than  the  rest, 
saw  deeper  into  the  matter.  "  Ye  are  surprised,"  said  he, 
"  that  the  son  of  Kish  should  be  thus  endowed.  But  what  has 
parentage  to  do  with  prophetic  gifts  ?  Who  is  the  father  of  the 
other  scholars  .'*  Is  prophecy  an  hereditary  gift  ?  If  they 
received  their  ability  from  God,  why  may  it  not  be  so  also  with 
Saul?"  Thus  the  spiritual  transformation  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  making  in  Saul's  heart  was  manifested  openly  to  all 
the  world.  This  remarkable  change  was  long  remembered, 
and  in  connection  with  a  similar  experience  in  very  different 
circumstances,  occasioned  the  use  of  the  common  proverb,  "  Is 
Saul  also  among  the  prophets  ?" 

When  the  transitory  enthusiasm  had  passed  away,  it  left  a 
certain  fervour  behind  which  could  not  be  satisfied  without 
further  communing  with  God.  New  powers  were  working 
within  him,  new  feelings  and  aspirations  were  excited  ;  he 
wanted  to  be  alone  for  quiet  meditation  and  prayer.  So  before 
he  returned  to  his  own  home,  he  went  up  to  the  high  place,  now 
deserted  by  the  prophetic  band,  and  stayed  there  for  a  time 
in  calm  retirement.  Some  think  that  a  festival  was  being 
celebrated  at  the  sanctuary,  and  that  Saul  Avent  thither  for  the 
purpose  of  attending  it,  and  there  met  his  uncle  and  had  the 
conversation  with  him  reported  below.  But  it  is  more  probable 
that  he  ascended  to  the  Bamah  for  a  religious  purpose  ;  and  we 
should  have  expected  that  the  prophets  would  have  been  them- 
selves going  thither,  rather  than  returning  from  it,  if  a  public 
feast  was  taking  place.  On  once  more  reaching  his  home,  Saul 
was  received  with  great  joy  by  his  father,  who  was  a  man  of 
placid,  sluggish  temperament,  and  too  well  pleased  to  have  his 
beloved  son  back  in  safety  to  make  any  very  particular  inquiries 
concerning  the  details  of  his  journey.  Not  so,  however,  with 
another  relation,  who  is  here  called  his  uncle,  and  who  must 
have  been  either  Ner,  his  father's  brother,  or  his  cousin,  the 


SAUL  ANOINTED    KING.  93 

subsequently  celebrated  Abner,  most  likely  the  latter.^  Having 
heard  of  Saul's  interview  with  Samuel,  and  the  honour  then 
paid  him  in  the  face  of  the  assembled  guests,  and  having  also 
marked  Saul's  altered  demeanour  and  habits,  he  was  much 
more  inquisitive.  But  Saul  did  not  gratify  his  curiosity.  He 
said  no  word  concerning  the  promised  kingdom.  He  probably 
knew  enough  of  Abner's  character  to  see  that  this  kinsman 
would  at  once  begin  to  scheme  and  plot  to  bring  about  the  fulfil- 
ment of  this  fine  promise  ;  and  this  was  quite  contrary  to  the 
prophet's  injunction,  and  opposed  to  his  own  modesty  and 
humility.  So  he  kept  his  own  counsel,  and  imparted  his  great 
secret  to  no  one.  Before  Samuel  dismissed  him  after  the 
solemn  anointing,  the  seer  had  given  him  certain  directions  for 
his  guidance,  adding  that  in  other  matters  he  was  to  be 
governed  by  circumstances,  and  act  as  the  spirit  within  prompted 
him.  "  Let  it  be,"  said  Samuel,  "  when  these  signs  are  come 
unto  thee,  that  thou  do  as  occasion  serve  thee  ;  for  God  is  with 
thee."  The  further  premonition  given  on  this  occasion  referred 
to  the  time  when  the  kingdom  should  have  been  confirmed  in 
his  hand,  and  he  should  be  preparing  to  put  in  execution  the 
purpose  for  which  he  was  appointed,  the  deliverance  of  Israel 
from  the  power  of  the  Philistines.  He  would  naturally 
assemble  the  people  at  Gilgal  for  the  commencement  of  the 
war  of  independence,  but  he  was  to  remember  that  he  was 
the  servant  of  Jehovah,  holding  his  authority  from  Him  and 
fighting  under  His  direction,  and  that  therefore  he  must  ask 
God's  blessing  on  the  enterprise,  and  inaugurate  it  with  solemn 
religious  services.  For  this  purpose  he  was  to  wait  seven  days 
for  Samuel's  arrival,  who  after  that  interval  would  come  to  offer 
burnt  sacrifices  and  peace-offerings.  This  was  of  the  utmost 
importance,  and  to  be  a  trial  of  his  faith.^  We  shall  see  here- 
after how  he  behaved  under  it. 

»  Comp.  I  Sam.  xiv.  50,  51,  and  i  Chron.  viii.  33. 

*  The  above  seems  the  best  explanation  of  the  difficult  passage,  1  Sam. 
X.  8  :  "  And  thou  shall  go  down  before  me  to  Gilgal  ;  and,  behold,  I  will 
come  down  unto  thee,  to  offer  burnt  offerings,  and  to  sacrifice  sacrifices  of 
peace-offerings  ;  seven  days  shalt  thou  tarry,  till  I  come  unto  thee,  and 
shew  thee  what  thou  shalt  do."  It  is  plain  that  Samuel  was  not  directing 
Saul  to  go  at  once  to  Gilgal,  for  the  sequence  of  events  was  quite 
different  ;  nor  could  he  have  been  referring  to  the  first  m.eeting  at  Gilgal 
(i  Sam.  xii.  14  ff.)  for  the  renewal  of  the  monarchy,  for  he  himself  went 


94  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

And  now  the  time  was  come  for  the  public  election  of  the 
future  king.  The  private  designation,  and  the  secret  unction, 
were  to  be  supplemented  by  proceedings  enacted  in  the  sight  of 
Israel.  In  a  great  national  assembly  the  monarch  was  to  be 
chosen  by  lot,  which  was  the  mode  taken  for  ascertaining  the 
will  of  the  Most  High,  and  by  which  assurance  would  be  given 
that  no  private  partiality  had  swayed  Samuel  in  his  dealings 
with  Saul.  So  Samuel,  as  the  chief  authority  in  the  country, 
convened  all  the  people  to  Mizpah,  the  place  where  he  himself 
had  erected  an  altar  in  commemoration  of  his  victory  over  the 
Philistines  many  years  ago,  and  which  was  not  only  thus 
hallowed  by  religious  observance,  but  revered  as  the  spot  where 
the  erring  people  had  been  brought  to  repentance.  Hither,  to  give 
solemnity  to  the  occasion,  and  for  the  purpose  of  consultation, 
had  been  brought  the  mysterious  Urim  and  Thummim,  either 
by  the  High  Priest  himself,  or,  if  that  office  was  still  vacant,  by 
the  priest  who  temporarily  replaced  him.*  When  all  were 
assembled,  Samuel  stood  forth  and  addressed  them.  He 
reminded  them  of  all  that  the  Lord  had  done  for  them  in  old 
time,  how  that  He  had  saved  them  out  of  the  hand  of  enemies 
and  of  all  that  oppressed  them  ;  but  deliverance  was  always 
conditioned  by  their  obedience  to  His  requirements  and 
acknowledgment  of  dependence  upon  Him.  And  now  they 
wished  to  have  a  king  who  would  lead  and  deliver  them  without 
any  such  condition  ;  they  were  bent  on  trying  a  worldly  policy  ; 
they  would  have  a  monarch  and  a  military  organization  like  the 
nations  around  them,  and  be  free  from  any  religious  restriction. 
Thus  they  proved  themselves  unworthy  of  the  blessings  of  the 
pure  Theocracy  :  "  ye  have  this  day,"  he  says  with  sorrowful 
indignation,  "  rejected  your  God,  Who  Himself  saveth  you  out 
of  all  your  calamities  and  your  distresses  ;  and  ye  have  said 
unto  Him,  Nay,  but  set  a  king  over  us."  They  had  had  time 
to  reconsider  their  former  decision,  and  opportunity  was  offered 

thither  with  the  people,  and  Saul  had  no  occasion  to  wait  for  his  arrival. 
The  second  gathering  is  the  one  intended  by  the  Prophet's  words.  After 
executing  certain  previous  enterprises,  e.g.,  the  attack  on  the  Ammonites, 
Saul  was  to  go  to  Gilgal,  and  there  wait  for  Samuel's  directions  before 
commencing  his  great  work  of  liberating  his  country  from  the  yoke  of  the 
Philistines. 

»  This  is  the  explanation  of  the  expression  "unto  the  Lord"  (i  Sam. 
X.  17)  given  by  Dean  Payne  Smith  and  Canon  Spence  in  loc. 


'  SAUL  ANOINTED   KING.  95 

of  repenting  of  their  self-willed  conduct,  and  of  returning  to 
the  old  order,  but  they  never  thought  of  availing  themselves  of 
it.  They  were  bent  on  innovation,  on  remodelling  the  constitu- 
tion, and  establishing  a  monarchy.  As  this  was  their  desire, 
God  was  willing  to  grant  it,  but  the  selection  of  the  king  must 
be  left  in  His  hands.  The  use  of  lots  in  order  to  obtain  a 
Divine  decision  was  very  common  among  the  Jews,  as  in  other 
nations.  It  was  conducted  in  this  way  :  the  names  in  question, 
written  on  tablets  or  some  other  substance,  were  placed  in  a 
basin  or  urn,  which  was  shaken  until  all  but  one  fell  out ;  the 
one  left  in  was  considered  as  declaring  the  Divine  choice.  By 
this  means  the  scapegoat  was  chosen,  the  land  of  Canaan  was 
distributed,  the  sin  of  Achan  was  detected,  and,  very  remark- 
ably, in  after  time  Matthias  was  elected  apostle.  The  solemn 
estimation  in  which  this  mode  of  divination  was  held  may  be 
gathered  from  such  passages  in  Scripture  as  Prov.  xvi.  33  :  "  The 
lot  is  cast  into  the  lap,  but  the  whole  disposing  thereof  is  of  the 
Lord."  On  this  occasion  the  people  were  arranged  in  their 
tribes  and  their  families  or  thousands  ;  the  lot  was  cast,  and 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin  was  taken.  Then  the  heads  of  the 
families  of  this  tribe  came  near  and  drew  lots,  and  the  family 
of  Matri  or  Bikri  ^  was  taken  ;  this  again  came  up  by  house- 
holds, and  the  household  of  Kish  was  taken  ;  and  on  the  lot 
being  cast  man  by  man,  Saul  was  selected.  He  had  foreseen 
the  result  of  the  trial,  and  had  concealed  himself ;  and  when 
search  was  made,  he  could  not  be  found.  We  see  here  the 
humility  and  modesty  of  a  great  mind,  filled  with  no  mean 
ambition,  and  shrinking  from  weighty  responsibilities  which  he 
felt  unequal  to  sustain.  It  is  true  that  he  had  become  "  another 
man,"  but  the  consciousness  of  unfitness  for  the  high  position 
to  which  he  was  called  still  haunted  his  footsteps,  and  led  him 
to  postpone  the  formidable  moment  as  long  as  possible.  Nor 
can  we  doubt  that  this  was  a  genuine  feeling.  It  was  no 
affectation  of  reluctance  which  only  needed  a  certain  amount 
of  pressure  to  give  way.  Like  Athanasius,  who  timed  his 
absence  that  he  might  avoid  the  perilous  dignity  of  Bishop  of 
Alexandria  ;  like  Ambrose,  who  fled  more  than  once  to  escape 

^  As  Matri  does  not  appear  elsewhere  in  the  genealogies,  and  it  is  ex- 
tremely unlikely  that  one  of  the  heads  of  a  chief  sub-division  should  be 
omitted,  Ewakl  has  suggested  that  Matri  is  a  corruption  of  Pikri,  a 
descendant  of  Becher  (i  Chron.  vii.  6,  8  ;  2  Sam.  xx.  i) 


96  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

an  office  alien  from  his  former  manner  of  life  ;  Saul  thought 
himself  unsuitable  for  the  proffered  dignity,  and  was  slow  to 
undertake  its  duties.  In  this  dilemma  recourse  was  had  to 
Divine  direction,  and  the  High  Priest  was  requested  to  inquire 
by  means  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim  whether  the  man  had 
yet  come  hither.  The  answer  was  that  he  had  come,  and  was 
now  hidden  among  the  baggage.  Such  a  vast  assembly  as 
was  here  gathered  together  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
their  implacable  enemies  had  doubtless  brought  with  them 
wagons  and  arms  and  stores,  and  arranged  the  camp  in  military 
fashion,  so  as  to  be  able  to  repel  any  sudden  assault.  Drawn 
at  length  from  his  hiding-place  and  escorted  into  the  midst  of 
the  concourse,  Saul  stood  forth  conspicuous  for  his  towering 
stature,  his  goodly  proportions,  and  his  manly  beauty.  He 
was  taller  than  any  of  the  people  from  the  shoulders  upward ; 
**  there  was  not  among  the  children  of  Israel  a  goodlier  person  than 
he."  So  in  classic  times  the  heroes  of  old  story  are  pre-eminent 
in  stature  :  Ajax  is  fair  and  huge,  and  overtops  the  Argives  by 
his  head  and  broad  shoulders  ;  Turnus  is  higher  by  the  head 
than  all  his  compeers.'  Samuel  leads  forth  his  protege  and 
presents  him  to  the  people.  "  See,"  says  he  in  evident  allusion  to 
the  direction  in  Deut.  xvii.  15,  "See  ye  him  whom  the  Lord 
hath  chosen  "  ;  and  tTiFpopuTace,  led  as  always  by  the  eye,  and 
attributing  all  the  faculties  required  in  a  ruler  to  one  whose 
bodily  superiority  was  so  evident,  shouted  with  loud  acclaim, 
"  Let  the  king  live,"  or,  according  to  our  English  phrase,  "  God 
save  the  king,"  meaning  to  express  the  wish  that  he  might  pass 
a  prosperous  and  blessed  life.  Samuel  had  already  spoken  of 
the  way  in  which  monarchs  abused  their  powers  and  intrenched 
on  the  rights  of  their  subjects,  when  he  first  heard  of  their 
demand  for  a  king  ;  he  now  communicates  to  the  people  the 
right  and  law  of  the  kingdom  which  were  to  regulate  the 
monarch's  action  under  the  Theocracy.  He  was  no  irrespon- 
sible tyrant  who  might  act  as  caprice  or  self-interest  guided, 
but  a  constitutional  sovereign,  whose  conduct  was  set  forth  in 
the  Mosaic  Law,  and  checked  and  directed  by  the  influence  of 
the  prophets  who  were  the  mouthpiece  of  Jehovah.  And  this 
was  the  constitution  then  established  in  due  accordance  with 
the  ancient  enactment  (Deut.  xvii.  14  ff.)  :  "Thou  shalt  in  any 

«  Homer,  "  n."iii.  227.     Virgil,  "^n."  vii.  784. 


SAUL  ANOINTED  KING.  97 

wise  set  him  king  over  thee,  whom  the  Lord  thy  God  shall 
choose,"  etc.  These  and  similar  words,  which  formed  the  Law 
of  the  kingdom,  Samuel  solemnly  rehearsed  in  the  ears  of 
the  people,  and  then,  when  time  allowed,  probably  in  the 
retirement  of  his  own  house  at  Ramah,  drew  up  a  formal 
document,  containing  not  only  the  above  principles  and 
regulations,  but  also  all  the  details  of  the  election  of  the  first 
king.  This  roll  was  placed  among  the  national  archives  in 
the  sanctuary,  by  the  side  of  the  Mosaic  Law  which  was  kept 
there,^  as  a  guide  for  future  sovereigns,  and  that  future  ages 
might  know  how  it  came  about  that  Saul  the  Benjamite  was 
appointed.  Having  accomplished  this  great  work,  Samuel 
dismissed  the  assembly  and  returned  to  Ramah. 

Saul  did  not  at  once  commence  to  exercise  his  new  office  ; 
he  displayed  no  undue  haste  to  seize  the  reins  of  government, 
but  quickly  returned  home  to  Gibeah,  and  resumed  his  usual 
habits,  awaiting  a  favourable  moment  for  showing  himself 
worthy  of  his  advancement.  He  returned,  however,  not  alone. 
The  best  and  most  valiant  of  those  who  had  been  present 
accompanied  him,  escorting  him  with  all  honour,  and  bringing 
him  presents  according  to  the  Eastern  custom.  These  men's 
hearts  God  had  touched,  and  they  gathered  round  the  new  king 
to  prepare  for  the  coming  struggle  and  to  consult  for  the  nation's 
good.  But  if  all  were  conscious  of  the  necessity  of  this  radical 
change  in  the  constitution,  all  were  not  equally  willing  to  under- 
take the  duties  and  burdens  necessary  for  its  establishment  and 
maintenance ;  and  some  were  ready  enough  to  scoff  at  and  de- 
preciate it  if  it  did  not  at  once  fulfil  their  expectations.  And 
further,  as  is  generally  the  case  where  a  person  is  suddenly 
elevated  from  the  ranks  to  h  igh  office,  there  were  not  wanting 
envious  people,  "  sons  of  Belial,"  worthless  creatures,  who 
spoke  of  Saul  disparagingly.  Perhaps  they  belonged  to  the 
great  tribes  of  Judah  and  Ephraim,  and  were  disgusted  at  the 
king  being  chosen  from  the  meanest  of  all  the  tribes,  Benjamin  ; 
they  despised  him,  and  asked  sneeringly  :  "  How  shall  this  \ 
man  save  us .? "  But  although  such  language  and  the  refusal  to 
bring  presents  were  equivalent  to  rebellion,  Saul  with  rare  self- 
restraint  paid  no  regard  to  the  malcontents,  and  acted  as  though 
he  knew  nothing  of  the  disaffection.    This  was  consummate 

*  Deut.  xxxi.  26.    Josephus,  "  Antiq."  vi.  4.  6* 

8 


98  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

prudence.  Had  he  shown  that  he  heard  these  murmurs,  and 
yet  took  no  notice  of  them,  he  would  at  once  have  been  accused 
of  pusillanimity ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  he  had  punished  the 
disaffected,  he  would  have  been  considered  cruel  and  vindic- 
tive, and  would  have  aroused  a  civil  war  the  results  of  which 
must  have  been  most  disastrous.  Yet  these  unfriendly  chief- 
tains had  no  reason  to  doubt  the  warlike  propensities  of  a  Ben- 
jamite.  Benjamin  had  always  been  the  most  martial  tribe  in 
Israel,  and  it  retained  this  character  to  a  late  period.'  It  had 
shown  its  courage  and  endurance  under  the  crushing  treatment 
that  befell  it  in  the  time  of  the  Judges.  We  read  later  of  its 
warriors  being  beyond  all  others  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  sling 
ind  the  bow  ;  we  read  of  many  of  them  being  as  efficient  with 
ihe  left  hand  as  with  the  right,  a  dexterity  which  must  have 
nade  them  formidable  enemies  in  close  encounter.^  It  was 
therefore  mere  envy  and  jealousy  which  dictated  the  opposition 
,)f  these  malcontents.  An  occasion  soon  arose  for  proving  how 
.nistaken  they  were  in  their  estimation  of  Saul's  abilities,  giving 
him  an  opening  for  action  undertaken  cheerfully  and  success- 
"ully  for  the  welfare  of  the  state,  and  winning  for  him  that 
leference  and  confidence  without  which  it  would  have  been 
ain  to  attempt  to  govern. 

»  Ewald,  ii.  S4«  '  Judg.  iii.  15  ;  xx;  is  f. ;  i  Chron.  xiL  a. 


CHAPTER   V. 
Saul's  first  victory. 

The  Ammonites  ;  they  attack  Jabesh-Gilead  ;  offer  ignominious  terms  to 
the  inhabitants— Saul  hears  of  the  distress  ;  summons  all  Israel  ; 
makes  a  forced  march  and  relieves  Jabesh-Gilead— His  wise  forbear- 
ance and  magnanimity. 

Some  portion  of  the  country  east  of  the  Jordan  was  occupied 
by  the  Ammonites,  a  savage,  marauding  nation,  descended  from 
Lot  and  closely  allied  to  the  Moabites,  though  not  partaking  of 
their  civilization  and  refinement.  A  hundred  years  before  this 
time  Jephthah  had  inflicted  a  severe  defeat  upon  them,  which 
had  insured  tranquillity  in  that  quarter  for  a  lengthened  period  ; 
but  Israel  had  not  properly  used  the  advantages  which  she 
possessed  ;  she  had  not  availed  herself  of  her  privileges  to 
complete  her  conquests  and  to  improve  her  moral  and  political 
strength,  and  the  Ammonites  (like  other  of  her  enemies)  pro- 
fited by  her  backsliding  and  supineness.  They  had  now  re- 
covered their  powers,  and  had  attacked  the  trans-Jordanic 
tribes,  treating  them  with  barbaric  cruelty.  If  we  believe 
Josephus,'  they  had  reduced  many  cities  to  slavery,  and  so  dis- 
tressed and  weakened  the  inhabitants  that  they  had  no  heart  to 
revolt  from  the  yoke  which  galled  them.  Such  indeed  as 
resisted  and  were  subdued  in  battle  were  spared  only  on  con- 
dition of  losing  their  right  eyes,  the  design  being  to  render  them 
incapable  of  engaging  in  war,  the  other  eye,  the  left,  being 
hidden  by  the  shield  which  in  fighting  they  held  before  them. 
The  Ammonites  were  notorious  for  revolting  cruelty  and  un- 

«  ••  Antiq."  vi.  $.  i. 


100  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

bridled  rapacity.  The  prophet  Amos  many  years  later  witnesses 
to  their  atrocious  character.  "  For  three  transgressions  of  the 
children  of  Ammon,"  he  says  in  his  oracle  (chap.  i.  13),  **yea, 
for  four,  I  will  not  turn  away  the  punishment  thereof :  because 
they  have  ripped  up  the  women  with  child  of  Gilead,  that  they 
might  enlarge  their  border."  The  king  of  the  Ammonites  at 
this  time  was  Nahash,  the  father,  probably,  of  the  monarch  of 
the  same  name  of  whom  we  hear  later  in  David's  time.  He 
had  now  turned  his  arms  against  the  Gileadites  and  attacked 
their  chief  city  Jabesh -Gilead,  deeming  the  moment  a  fit  oppor- 
tunity for  revenging  the  ancient  defeat,  now  that  the  judge 
Samuel  was  stricken  in  years,  and  as  far  as  he  knew  there  was 
no  one  to  take  his  place.  Jabesh,  a  city  appertaining  then  to 
Manasseh,  stands  on  the  side  of  the  Wady  el  Yabis,  a  ravine 
which  winds  down  the  side  of  Mount  Gilead,  about  six  miles 
south  of  Pella.  Its  site  is  marked  by  some  ruins  known  by 
the  name  of  Ed-Deir,  "  the  convent,"  a  convenient  appellation 
often  given  by  the  Arabs  to  ruins  of  which  they  have  no  tradi- 
tional explanation.'  It  had  been  depopulated  and  destroyed 
some  years  before  for  having  neglected  to  join  in  the  war 
against  the  Benjamites,^  but  by  this  time  had  recovered  itself, 
and  was  again  a  city  of  some  importance.  It  occupied  a 
strong  position,  and  could  not  be  taken  by  sudden  assault,  but 
the  inhabitants  had  no  hope  of  resisting  the  invaders  effectually 
for  any  lengthened  period  ;  they  had  no  trust  in  God,  and 
only  wished  to  make  the  best  possible  terms  before  surrendering 
themselves  to  their  opponent.  Their  isolated  situation,  and 
the  lack  of  unity  in  the  nation,  rendered  them  incapable  of  any 
combined  movement  of  defence  ;  and  this  petty  despot  might 
work  his  will  upon  them.  His  claim  to  the  country,  a  claim 
which  had  been  already  made  by  his  predecessors  (Judges 
xi.  13),  they  had  no  courage  to  dispute;  and  they  came  forth 
from  their  city  as  suppliants,  humbly  praying  him  to  settle  the 
conditions  on  which  they  should  serve  him.  Nahash,  scorn- 
ing this  abject  people,  and  wishing  to  revenge  on  Israel  the 
humiliation  which  his  nation  had  previously  suffered,  offered 
the  terms  mentioned  above  :  "  On  this  condition,"  he  says,  "  I 
will  make  a  covenant  with  you,  that  all  your  right  eyes  be  put 
out."    A  horrible  alternative  indeed,  but  one  to  which  their 

«  Robinson,  "Later  Researches,"  319.  ■  Judg.  xxi.  8  fF. 


SAUL'S  FIRST  VICTORY.  lOl 

impotence  and  pusillanimity  were  ready  to  submit ;  only  they 
stipulated  that  they  should  have  seven  days'  respite,  during 
which  they  might  send  messengers  throughout  Israel  to  see  if 
there  were  any  able  and  willing  to  rescue  them.  This  condition 
Nahash  granted,  not  from  any  chivalrous  feeling  such  as  we 
might  expect  in  a  generous  warrior  of  the  Middle  Ages,  but 
because  he  saw  little  hope  of  reducing  the  city  in  the  interval, 
and,  knowing  nothing  of  the  recent  events  that  had  transpired 
across  Jordan,  he  thought  himself  quite  safe  from  any  vigorous 
attack  at  the  hands  of  the  Western  Israelites.  He  was  the 
more  willing  to  grant  the  request,  as  the  message  thus  sent 
abroad  would  publish  his  triumph  and  display  his  contempt  for 
his  enemies.  It  was  only  a  month  '  since  the  election  of  Saul, 
and  tidings  of  the  new  state  of  things  had  not  reached  the 
Gileadites  ;  so  in  sending  envoys  to  ask  for  aid,  they  made  no 
application  to  the  king,  but  appealed  to  "  all  the  borders  of 
Israel."  First,  as  was  natural,  they  had  recourse  to  Benjamin, 
the  tribe  with  which  they  were  closely  connected  and  for  whose 
sake  they  had  suffered  severely  in  past  time.  As  they  alone 
had  refused  to  join  in  the  remorseless  destruction  of  the  Ben- 
jamites,  and  had  given  them  their  maidens  in  marriage  when 
they  were  in  danger  of  utter  extinction,  so  now  they  look  to 
their  gratitude  to  aid  them  in  this  terrible  crisis.  Travelling 
with  the  utmost  speed,  the  envoys  arrive  at  Gibeah,  and  in  their 
ignorance  of  the  new  constitution  lay  their  business  before  the 
people  generally.  These  listened  to  the  sad  tale  with  sympathy 
and  concern.  But  what  could  they  do  ?  They  were  not  yet 
used  to  the  notion  of  having  a  king  and  leader  to  whom  they 
might  have  recourse  in  all  emergencies  ;  they  had  so  long  been 
in  a  state  of  disorganization  and  disunion,  that  they  had  not 
even  a  suggestion  to  offer  in  order  to  meet  the  crisis  ;  but, 
powerless  to  aid,  failing  to  realize  their  position  as  a  God- 
defended  people  and  already  possessing  a  centre  of  unity  and 
organization,  they  could  only  lift  up  their  voice  and  weep. 

Saul  had  shown  no  undue  haste  to  assume  the  authority  and 
responsibilities  of  his  new  position.  Republican  Israel  at  pre- 
sent little  understood  the  duties,  powers,  and  privileges  of  a 
king  ;  it  was  only  politic,  especially  in  the  face  of  a  disaffected 
party,  for  Saul  to  wait  for  a  favourable  opportunity  for  setting 

s  So  Sept  and  Vulg.    Compare  i  Sam.  xii.  12. 


I02  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

himself  prominently  before  the  eyes  of  the  people  as  their  ap- 
pointed ruler.  Guided  doubtless  by  Samuel's  counsel,  he  con- 
tinued to  occupy  only  a  private  station,  and  with  a  wise  modesty 
employed  himself  in  those  agricultural  pursuits  which  had 
hitherto  fully  occupied  his  thoughts  and  time.  He  had  col- 
lected no  standing  army  ;  even  the  men  of  valour  who  had 
associated  themselves  with  him  at  first  had  now  returned  home, 
ready  to  rejoin  him  when  the  voluntary  recognition  of  his 
authority  or  other  circumstances  should  render  their  services 
desirable.  There  was  no  hasty  self-seeking  in  the  new  monarch  ; 
patiently  he  waited  till  the  moment  of  action  arrived.  And  the 
opportunity  had  now  arisen.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the 
Roman  story  concerning  L.  Quinctius  Cincinnatus,  how  the 
envoys,  whom  the  Senate  sent  to  summon  him  to  save  his 
country  by  assuming  the  office  of  Dictator,  found  him  ploughing 
his  modest  farm,  and  how,  when  he  had  accomplished  the 
great  work  which  had  drawn  him  from  obscurity,  he  returned 
to  his  agricultural  employments.*  Saul  was  driving  his  weary 
oxen  home  from  a  hard  day's  work  in  the  field,  when  he  was 
met  with  a  sound  of  lamentation  and  weeping,  such  as  even  now 
Eastern  peoples  raise  in  times  of  calamity,  the  silent  suffering 
of  more  externally  apathetic  nations  being  unknown  in  those 
sunny  chmes.  On  hearing  the  cause  of  this  general  mourning, 
and  being  informed  of  the  indignity  offered  to  all  Israel,  Saul 
was  fired  with  a  righteous  indignation.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  mightily  upon  him  ;  as  Samuel  had  prophesied,  God  was 
with  him  (chap.  x.  7),  filling  him  with  power  and  energy,  as  He 
had  inspired  the  Judges  in  other  days.  Anger  at  the  intended 
insult  was  a  just  and  Divinely-sent  feeling,  animating  Saul  to 
do  and  dare  anything  to  repel  and  punish  it.  Here  was  a 
burning  zeal  for  the  honour  of  God,  which  awoke  new  powers 
in  the  young  king's  mind,  drew  out  the  high  qualities  which 
were  latent  in  him,  and  enabled  him  to  adopt  such  measures  as 
would  prove  efficacious.  A  hero  and  a  king,  he  steps  forth, 
takes  his  proper  post  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  issues  his  com- 
mands with  promptness  and  authority,  as  one  who  had  the 
right  to  be  obeyed.  Mindful  perhaps  of  the  action  of  the 
Levite  who  hewed  his  abused  concubine  into  twelve  pieces  and 
sent  them  into  all  the  coasts  of  Israel  Saul  slays  the  yoke  of 

«  Livy,  iii.  26  flf.     Pliny,  "  Hist.  Nat."  xvlii.  i.     Dion.,  x.  24. 

»  Judg.  xix.  29. 


SAUL'S   FIRST  VICTORY.  id), 

6xeh  with  which  he  had  been  ploughing,  cuts  them  into  pieces, 
hands  over  the  strips  of  bleeding  flesh  to  messengers,  directing 
them  to  carry  them  throughout  the  land  with  the  stern  threat, 
"  Whosoever  cometh  not  forth  after  Saul  and  after  Samuel,  so 
shall  it  be  done  unto  his  oxen."  He  places  himself  first  as  the 
man  to  whom  was  committed  the  chief  authority,  and  he  adds 
the  honoured  name  of  Samuel  to  show  that  he  was  acting  under 
Divine  direction,  and  to  influence  those  who  slighted  or  were 
ignorant  of  the  king's  position,  as  if  he  had  said  :  "  Let  those 
follow  Samuel  who  feel  no  call  to  follow  Saul.  If  ye  came 
forth  as  one  man  to  punish  the  crime  of  Benjamin,  now  arm 
ye,  one  and  all,  to  avenge  this  atrocious  insult  offered  to  all 
Israel  by  your  ancient  enemies."  The  mention,  too,  of  Samuel 
in  this  connection  proves  that  he  continued  to  exercise  a  high 
office,  not  only  as  prophet,  but  as  a  chief  conjointly  with  the 
king,  the  monarchy  being  limited  by  the  theocretic  principle. 
The  threat  that  those  who  disobeyed  the  summons  should  have 
their  oxen  destroyed  seems  a  light  and  moderate  one,  suited 
perhaps  to  the  limited  powers  of  the  new-made  king,  who  could 
not  yet  presume  to  dispose  of  the  lives  of  subjects  at  his  own 
mere  word.  But  the  loss  of  his  oxen  would  be  ruin  to  a  labour- 
ing man,  and  the  fear  of  such  a  catastrophe  might  well  have 
aided  to  swell  the  levy  of  the  people.  Such  a  war-signal  as  the 
above  is  not  unknown  in  other  countries.  Ewald  refers  to  the 
custom  in  Norway  of  sending  the  war- arrow  from  tribe  to  tribe 
to  arouse  the  nation  to  arms.  Walter  Scott  has  made  us 
familiar  with  the  Scottish  token  of  the  fire-brand  : 

"  While  clamorous  war-pipes  yelled  the  gathering  sound, 
And  while  the  Fiery  Cross  glanced,  like  a  meteor,  round."  « 

The  poet,  in  a  note,  explains  the  symbol  thus  :  "  When  a 
chieftain  designed  to  summon  his  clan  upon  any  emergency,  he 
slew  a  goat,  and  making  a  cross  of  any  light  wood,  seared  its 
extremities  in  the  fire,  and  extinguished  them  in  the  blood  of  the 
animal.  This  was  called  the  Fiery  Cross,  and  also  the  Cross  of 
Shame ^  because  disobedience  to  the  symbol  inferred  infamy. 
It  was  passed  with  incredible  celerity  through  all  the  district 
which  owed  allegiance  to  the  chief,  and  also  among  his  allies 
and  neighbours,  if  the  danger  was  common  to  them  ;  and  at 

*  "  Lady  of  the  Lake,"  iii.  i. 


\ 


104  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

sight  of  the  Fiery  Cross  every  man,  from  sixteen  years  old  to 
sixty,  was  obhged  instantly  to  repair,  in  his  best  arms  and 
accoutrements,  to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  He  who  failed  to 
appear  suffered  the  extremities  of  fire  and  sword,  which  were 
emblematically  denounced  by  the  bloody  and  burned  marks 
upon  this  warlike  signal." 

The  terrible  message  carried  throughout  Israel  made  a  deep 
impression.  A  dread  inspired  by  the  Lord  fell  on  all  the  people 
alike ;  they  shrank  from  disobeying  the  imperious  summons  ; 
they  recognized  the  hand  of  God  in  Saul's  energetic  action  ; 
they  zealously  answered  the  appeal,  and  came  forth  as  one  man. 
For  the  first  time  united  under  its  king,  the  whole  nation  took 
the  field  to  rescue  one  of  its  members  from  injury  and  disgrace. 
There  was  one  spirit  in  all  the  land.  In  threatening  Gilead, 
Nahash  menaced  the  independence  of  Israel.  A  common 
danger  united  the  isolated  tribes.  They  thought  of  their  duty 
regarding  these  Ammonites  ;  it  was  their  mission  to  extirpate 
idolatry,  and  they  had  special  instructions  regarding  this 
nation  and  their  evil  allies,  the  Moabites.  "An  Ammonite 
or  a  Moabite,"  it  was  commanded,^  shall  not  enter  into  the 
assembly  of  the  Lord  ;  even  to  the  tenth  generation  shall  none 
belonging  to  them  enter  into  the  assembly  of  the  Lord  for 
ever.  Thou  shalt  not  seek  their  peace  nor  their  prosperity  all 
thy  days  for  ever."  So  the  Israelites  of  the  surrounding  districts 
mustered  in  large  numbers  at  the  appointed  rendezvous.  This 
was  Bezek,  a  place  in  the  tribe  of  Manasseh,  situated,  accord- 
ing to  the  Onomasticon,  about  seventeen  miles  north  of 
Nablous,  on  the  road  to  Bethshean.  It  is  now  probably 
identified  with  Ibzik,  which  lies  on  the  edge  of  the  hills  just 
opposite  to  Jabesh,  fourteen  miles  north-east  of  Nablous. 
There  was  another  town  or  district  of  the  same  name,  the 
capital  of  Adoni-Bezek,  which  is  represented  by  the  modern 
Bezkah,  six  miles  south-east  of  Lydda  ;^  but  this  is  too  remote 
from  the  scene  of  action  to  be  regarded  as  the  place  intended 
in  our  text.  Here  at  a  certain  high  place,  as  the  LXX.  notify, 
the  people  flocked  together  from  all  quarters.  The  number  of 
men  assembled  is  represented  to  have  been  330,000,  of  whom 
300,000  belonged  to  Israel,  and  30,000  to  Judah.  If  there  is  no 
mistake  in  the  figures  (and  such  errors  are  common  enough), 

"  Deut.  xxiii.  3ff.  •  Judg.  i.  4,  5. 


SAUL'S  FIRST  VICTORY.  I05 

we  must  regard  this  assemblage  as  a  levy  in  mass,  a  landstunn, 
as  the  Germans  call  it,  which  would  include  every  one  capable  of 
bearing  arms.  The  Septuagint  gives  600,000  men  to  Israel,  and 
70,000  to  Judah  ;  Josephus,  retaining  the  same  number  as  the 
Greek  version  for  Judah,  assigns  700,000  to  Israel.  The 
separate  mention  of  Israel  and  Judah  has  led  some  critics  to 
consider  the  clause  as  the  addition  of  some  late  reviser  who 
lived  after  the  separation  of  the  kingdom,  and  was  inclined  to 
favour  the  northern  division  at  the  expense  of  the  southern. 
But  the  suggestion  is  gratuitous.  The  feud  between  the  northern 
and  southern  tribes  existed  long  before  the  days  of  David  and 
Rehoboam,  and  was  popularly  represented  by  the  separation  of 
the  whole  nation  into  Israel  and  Judah.  The  final  disruption 
was  only  the  culmination  of  previous  disunion,  traces  of  which 
are  discernible  in  much  earlier  times.  The  small  number  of 
Judaeans  who  mustered  at  Bezek  is  traceable  to  the  same 
cause.  Certainly  they  may  have  had  something  to  occupy 
their  attention  and  to  employ  their  forces  in  making  head 
against  the  Philistines  in  their  own  territories  ;  but,  as  Dean 
Payne  Smith  remarks,  "  Judah  always  stood  apart  until  there 
was  a  king  who  belonged  to  itself.  Then,  in  David's  time  it 
first  took  an  active  interest  in  the  national  welfare,  and  it  was 
its  vast  powers  and  number  which  made  him  so  powerful."  In 
those  days,  too,  Benjamin  was  included  in  the  term  Judah,  while 
at  the  present  time  it  is  enumerated  in  Israel,  Asa  could  boast 
of  300,000  warriors  belonging  to  his  own  tribe,  and  280,000 
appertaining  to  Benjamin  ;  and  even  in  the  most  prosperous 
times  of  the  northern  kingdom  Israel  never  more  than  doubled 
Judah.*  It  was  one  thing,  and  comparatively  easy,  to  assemble 
this  multitude,  called  forth  by  a  common  enthusiasm  to  meet  a 
common  danger  and  to  punish  an  insult  levelled  against  the 
whole  nation  ;  it  was  another  and  harder  task  to  organize  this 
tumultuous  host  into  some  similitude  of  a  regular  army.  Of 
arms,  probably,  they  had  no  great  supply.  The  Philistines  had 
taken  care  to  remove  these  as  soon  as  ever  they  had  the 
power.  In  the  present  case  "  furor  arma  ministrat "  ;  they 
could  only  take  as  weapons  what  came  first  to  hand  of  the 
agricultural  implements  which  they  used,  scythes,  ox  goads, 
stakes.     Many  victories  have  been  won  by  such   inadequate 

«  2  Chron.  xiii.  3  ;  xiv.  8  ;  xxv.  5,  6. 


ro6  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

means.  Saul's  untried  powers  were  developed  by  the  great 
occasion.  When  it  is  said  that  he  "numbered"  the  people, 
this  implies  that  he  arranged  them  by  hundreds  and  fifties, 
companies  and  battalions,  set  captains  over  them,  and  acted 
himself  as  commander-in-chief.  When  this  was  done,  keeping 
some  of  the  Gileadite  messengers  with  him  to  guide  him  by  the 
shortest  route,  he  dismissed  the  others  with  a  cheerful  message 
to  their  fellow-townsmen.  The  preparations  had  occupied  nearly 
a  week,  but  everything  being  now  ready,  he  could  send  word 
by  the  envoys  :  "  To-morrow  by  the  time  the  sun  is  hot,  ye  shall 
have  deliverance."  Confident  in  the  support  of  Divine  assistance  ' 
and  in  the  justice  of  his  cause,  Saul  assumes  the  certainty  of 
victory  for  his  arms  ;  and  the  messengers,  seeing  his  assurance, 
and  encouraged  by  the  great  muster  at  Bezek,  on  their  return 
to  Jabesh  inspire  the  inhabitants  with  the  same  courage.  They 
had  to  pass  through  the  Ammonites'  camp  in  order  to  reach 
their  own  city,  using  the  liberty  of  transit  which  had  been  con- 
temptuously given  them.  But  they  carefully  kept  their  own 
counsel,  and  let  no  suspicion  of  what  they  had  witnessed  reach 
the  Ammonites  ;  and  still  farther  to  throw  their  enemies  off 
their  guard,  and  expose  them  to  surprise  at  the  hands  of  Saul, 
the  inhabitants  sent  a  crafty  message  to  the  besiegers  as,  if  they 
had  given  up  all  hope  of  rescue,  and  were  content  to  submit  to 
the  hard  condition  offered  by  Nahash  on  the  expiration  of  the 
time  of  reprieve.  "  To-morrow,"  said  they  to  him,  "  we  will 
come  out  unto  you  ;  and  ye  shall  do  with  us  all  that  seemeth 
good  unto  you."  The  words  were  really  ambiguous,  and  like 
an  ancient  oracle,  capable  of  two  interpretations.  While  the 
Ammonites  took  them  in  the  sense  of  an-intention  to  surrender, 
the  Gileadites  in  their  own  hearts  thought,  *'  We  will  come  out 
indeed,  but  in  hostile  guise,  and  ye  shall  do  what  ye  can,  not 
what  ye  desire." 

The  distance  from  Bezek  to  Jabesh  by  the  most  direct  route 
was  about  eighteen  miles.  As  the  undisciplined  host,  had  it 
tried  to  march  in  one  body,  would  have  been  thrown  into  con- 
fusion owing  to  its  immense  numbers,  Saul  wisely  divided  it 
into  three  bands,  that  it  might  arrive  by  different  roads  at  its 
destination,  and  make  its  attack  in  three  different  directions. 
Setting  out  that  same  evening  by  a  forced  march  he  reached 
the  neighbourhood  of  Jabesh  while  it  was  still  dark,  the  enemy 
being  entirely  unaware  of  his  proceedings,  and  despising  the 


SAUL'S   FIRST  VICTORY.  107 

Israelites  too  much  to  take  any  unusual  precautions  for  the 
safety  of  their  camp.  Having  halted  a  short  time  to  refresh 
his  men,  Saul,  imitating  the  tactics  of  the  great  judge,  Gideon 
(Judg.  vii.  16  ff.),  arranged  the  threefold  attack.  It  was  now 
the  rnorning  watch,  the  last  of  the  three  watches  into  which  the 
Jews  divided  the  night,  and  probably  about  five  or  six  o'clock, 
when  the  hostile  enemy  was  buried  in  slumber.  The  king 
launched  his  overwhelming  host  on  the  sleeping  enemy ;  the 
men  of  Jabesh  "  came  out,"  and  aided  their  friends ;  and  a  fearful 
slaughter  ensued.  Surprised,  panic-stricken,  disorganized,  the 
Ammonites  fled  in  all  directions,  so  that  not  two  of  them  were 
left  together,  and  their  king  himself  fell  in  the  contest.'  Till 
midday  the  carnage  and  the  pursuit  were  continued,  and  the 
victors  only  ceased  their  bloody  work,  when,  overpowered  by 
fatigue,  their  wearied  limbs  refused  to  carry  them  further. 

It  was  a  great  and  timely  victory  which  at  once  placed  Saul 
in  his  rightful  position  as  the  head  and  leader  of  the  nation. 
Enthusiastic  in  their  recognition  of  his  ability,  and  aggrieved 
that  any  should  have  been  found  to  dispute  his  authority  and 
sneer  at  his  pretensions,  the  people  crowd  around  Samuel,  who 
had  accompanied  the  expedition  and  aided  the  king  with  all  his 
influence,  and  demand  the  punishment  of  those  who  had  asked 
in  derision,  "  Shall  Saul  reign  over  us  ?"  With  tumultuous  vio- 
lence they  clamour  for  their  immediate  execution.  But  Saul, 
not  even  waiting  for  Samuel's  answer  to  the  demand,  takes 
upon  himself  to  reply  with  generosity  and  wisdom  :  "There 
shall  not  a  man  be  put  to  death  this  day  ;  for  to-day  the  Lord 
hath  wrought  deliverance  in  Israel."  It  was  a  politic  and  pious 
answer.  Had  Saul  acceded  to  the  popular  demand,  and  given 
way  to  the  natural  feeling  of  revenge,  disastrous  consequences 
would  have  ensued.  The  jealousy  between  the  rival  tribes 
would  have  been  augmented  and  confirmed  ;  feuds  and  heart- 
burnings would  have  arisen  and  been  perpetuated,  and  it  would 
always  have  been  cast  against  him  as  a  reproach  that  he  had 
commenced  his  reign  with  domestic  broils  and  bloodshed.  By 
his  prudent  moderation  he  saved  his  country  from  such  calami- 
ties, as  by  skilful  generalship  he  delivered  it  from  menacing  en- 
emies. But  there  is  more  than  this  in  his  answer.  He  shows 
here  at  his  best.    He  gratefully  acknowledges  God's  hand  in 

«  Josephus,  "  Antiq."  vi.  5.  3. 


Io8  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

the  late  events,  and  ascribes  the  victory  to  its  true  source. 
Under  the  inspiration  of  success  and  the  confidence  begotten 
by  the  consciousness  of  Divine  support,  he  rises  to  a  high  level 
of  magnanimity  and  piety.  Unhappily  these  virtues  are  only 
impulsive  and  transient,  and  have  no  firm  basis  in  his  heart  and 
character.  In  time  of  temptation  he  falls  away.  But  now  he 
shows  himself  a  wise  ruler  and  a  good  man. 

Thus  successfully  and  piously  did  Saul  inaugurate  his  rule. 
He  had  gained  a  great  victory  over  national  enemies  ;  he  had 
gained  a  greater  over  himself,  mastering  the  natural  desire  of 
revenge  by  the  consideration  of  God's  clemency  to  sinning  Israel, 
and  unwilling  to  mar  the  universal  thanksgiving  by  any  act  of 
violence.  Samuel  saw  that  this  was  a  favourable  moment  for 
confirming  the  kingdom  in  the  hand  of  Saul,  and  relinquishing 
his  own  judgeship  in  favour  of  the  new  king.  He  therefore 
summoned  all  the  people  to  meet  him  at  Gilgal,  the  famous 
Benjamite  sanctuary  in  the  Jordan  valley,  and  the  place  in  his 
circuit  nearest  to  Jabesh-Gilead.  What  a  host  of  memories 
clustered  round  this  spot  !  How  it  would  remind  the  people  of 
their  forefathers'  entrance  into  the  Promised  Land,  and  of  the 
miracles  that  accompanied  and  facilitated  that  entrance  !  Here 
the  wanderers  had  passed  their  first  night  after  crossing  the 
river  Jordan ;  here  were  set  up  the  twelve  stones,  still  dis- 
tinguishable in  Jerome's  ^  time,  to  commemorate  the  marvellous 
passage ;  here  was  the  rite  of  circumcision,  for  forty  years 
disused,  performed  on  those  who  had  been  born  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  thus  the  reproach  of  uncircumcision  was  "rolled  away"; 
and  here  was  celebrated  the  first  Passover  in  the  Promised 
Land.  As  they  assembled  here  round  the  altar  and  the  high 
place,  and  looked  on  the  venerable  mementoes  of  past  events, 
the  Israelites  could  not  help  feeling  their  dependence  upon 
supernatural  aid  and  the  very  present  help  of  Jehovah.  There 
had  been  some  who  murmured  at  the  first  election  of  Saul  at 
Mizpah  and  refused  to  own  his  authority  ;  Samuel  now  pro- 
posed to  "  renew  the  kingdom,"  that  is,  to  proclaim  the  monarch 
by  the  universal  voice  of  the  nation  amid  prayer  and  sacrifice 
and  general  rejoicing. 

«  "Ep.  Paxdss,"  §  iz. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SAMUEL    ABDICATES. 

Renewal  of  the  monarchy — Samuel  abrogates  the  office  of  Judge  ;  defends 

his  past  career  ;  shows  that  nothing  in  it  excused  the  demand  for  a 
king — His  words  confirmed  by  a  portent  ;  endorsed  by  acclamation — 
He  promises  to  intercede  for  the  people. 

"  And  all  the  people  went  to  Gilgal ;  and  there  they  made  Saul 
king  before  the  Lord  in  Gilgal."  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to 
understand  the  bearing  of  these  worfls  or  what  was  the  cere- 
mony to  which  they  refer.  The  LXX.,  not  interpreting  the 
Hebrew,  but  introducing  their  own  view  of  the  matter,  render : 
"And  Samuel  there  anointed  Saul  to  be  king."  ^  And  some 
critics  acquiesce  in  this  view,  appealing  to  the  example  of 
David,  who,  after  he  had  been  originally  anointed  by  Samuel, 
received  the  unction  on  two  other  occasions,  once  when  ap- 
pointed king  of  Judah,  and  again  when  accepted  as  ruler  of  all 
Israel.'  But  this  precedent  is  not  decisive ;  rather  it  tells 
against  the  idea  ;  for  such  a  ceremony,  had  it  really  taken  place, 
would  not  here  have  escaped  mention  ;  it  would  have  been 
noted  with  the  same  precision  which  is  displayed  in  the  case  of 
David.  We  may  observe,  too,  that  the  verb  translated  "made" 
does  not  mean  consecrated  ;  and  the  action  is  attributed,  in  the 
Hebrew  text,  not  to  Samuel,  but  to  the  whole  people.  The 
renewal  of  the  monarchy  consisted  in  the  unanimous  confirmation 
of  the  previous  election  ;  it  was  equivalent  to  the  public  coro- 
nation of  a  sovereign  in  modern  times  ;  the  people  acknowledged 

«  So  Josephus,  "  Antiq."  vi.  5.  4. 

»  I  Sam.  xvi.  12,  X3  ;  2  Sam.  ii.  4  ;  v.  3. 


/ 


no  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

the  sovereignty,  and  undertook  to  defend  and  obey  it ;  the  king 
^as  no  longer  to  lead  a  private  life,  but  to  assume  the  state  and 
duties  of  a  sovereign.  Doubtless,  Samuel  again  rehearsed  the 
laws  of  the  kingdom,  and  king  and  people  swore  to  obey  them. 
All  this  was  done  "  before  the  Lord,"  which  may  mean  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Ark,  and  the  High  Priest  with  his  mystic  Urim  and 
Thummim  ;  or  simply,  in  due  and  solemn  fashion,  accompanied 
with  religious  services.  And  then,  rejoicing  in  their  new  king 
and  animated  by  the  thought  how  well  and  quickly  he  had 
proved  himself  worthy  of  his  elevation,  they  showed  their 
gratitude  by  presenting  peace-offerings  and  feasting  together 
in  happy  fellowship. 

Now  that  this  great  work  was  accomplished  and  the  importu- 
nate desire  of  the  nation  was  fulfilled,  Samuel  is  ready  to 
resign  his  office  of  Judge,  and  to  act  only  as  counsellor  and 
medium  of  heavenly  communication.  But  first  he  thinks 
good  to  defend  his  past  career,  and  once  more  to  show  the 
people  the  error  which  they  had  committed  in  insisting  on 
changing  the  form  of  government,  and  the  great  truth 
that  their  prosperity  depended  upon  the  behaviour  of  prince 
and  subjects  before  the  Lord.  It  is  customary  with  German 
critics  to  regard  this  noble  discourse  of  Samuel  as  the  pro- 
duction of  a  much  later  age,  and  as  embodying  the  writer's 
conception  of  the  crisis  obtained  by  a  retrospective  consideration 
of  the  entire  history  of  Israel.*  When  it  was  composed,  they 
say,  the  subject  of  the  monarchy  had  been  long  examined  in  all 
its  bearings,  and  the  monarchy  itself  had  shown  its  operation 
for  good  and  ill.  But  this  is  mere  conjecture  supported  on  no 
solid  basis.  Rather,  we  may  naturally  suppose  that  the  account 
of  so  vastly  important  an  assembly  would  be  accurately  preserved, 
and  the  very  words  of  the  old  prophet  would  be  carefully 
treasured  up,  as  a  guide  and  a  warning  for  future  generations. 
Theaccountisnatural  and  unvarnished;  it  is  not  simply  an  address 
put  into  Samuel's  mouth,  but  a  narration  of  a  dialogue  between 
him  and  the  people,  and  of  the  circumstances  attending  it.  That 
he  should  show  prescience  of  the  future,  and  be  fully  alive  to  the 
dangers  that  threatened  the  monarchy,  and  strongly  express  his 
opinion  of  the  only  hope  of  safety,  is  just  what  we  should  expect 
both  from  his  sagacity  and  the  inspiration  which  opened  his  sight, 


'  See,  e.g,f  Ewald,  ii.  26. 


SAMUEL  ABDICATES.  Hi 

and  from  the  unselfish  patriotism  which  regarded  above  al! 
consideration  the  good  of  his  beloved  country.  And  now,  as  he 
is  no  longer  charged  with  the  chief  government  of  the  nation, 
he  stands  forth  with  the  king  by  his  side,  and  casts  a  glance 
upon  his  past  administration,  which  he  truly  vindicates  from 
adverse  criticism,  and  shows  had  not  been  such  as  to  create  the 
demand  for  a  ruler  of  a  different  character  and  position.  And 
he  speaks  in  the  integrity  of  his  heart  :  "  Behold,  I  have 
hearkened  unto  your  voice  in  all  that  ye  said  unto  me,  and  have 
made  a  king  over  you.  And  now,  behold,  the  king  walketh 
before  you  ;  he  is  here  to  govern  and  lead  you  in  peace  and 
war  ;  and  I  am  old  and  grayheaded,  and  shall  soon  have  to 
render  an  account  of  my  stewardship  to  God  ;  and,  behold,  my 
sons  are  with  you  ;  they  are  deprived  of  their  judicial  functions 
and  reduced  to  the  rank  of  private  citizens  ;  you  have  not  to 
examine  their  conduct,  but  to  pass  your  judgment  on  my 
administration.  And  you  know  my  whole  life  ;  I  have  walked 
before  you  from  my  youth  unto  this  day.  Here  I  am  ;  witness 
against  me  before  the  Lord ;  "  and  the  old  man,  as  he  spake, 
reverently  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and,  turning  to  Saul 
who  stood  by  his  side,  added,  *'  and  before  the  king.  His 
anointed.  Whose  ox  have  I  taken  ?  or  whose  ass  have  I  taken  ? 
or  whom  have  I  defrauded  ?  Whom  have  I  oppressed  ?  or  of 
whose  hand  have  I  taken  a  ransom  to  blind  mine  eyes  therewith 
and  to  let  the  guilty  escape  unpunished  ?  *  And  I  will  restore 
it  you."  Such  is  his  challenge.  Was  there  any  point  in  all  his 
long  administration  which  the  people  could  attack  or  which 
justified  them  in  demanding  a  new  ruler?  And  the  people  with 
one  accord  testified  to  his  perfect  justice  and  integrity.  To 
further  confirm  their  testimony  to  his  uprightness,  Samuel  again 
solemnly  appeals  to  Jehovah  and  the  king  :  "  the  Lord,"  he 
says,  "is  witness  against  you,  and  His  anointed  is  witness  this 
day,  that  ye  have  not  found  aught  in  my  hand."  In  bearing 
this  full  testimony  to  Samuel's  integrity  the  people  condemned 

*  The  LXX.  have  :  "  or  of  whose  hand  have  I  received  any  propitiation, 
even  a  sandal?"  So  the  Syriac.  The  reading  is  confirmed  by  Ecclus.  xlvi. 
19  :  "  Before  his  long  sleep  he  made  protestations  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord 
and  His  anointed,  I  have  not  taken  any  man's  goods,  so  much  as  a  shoe." 
Comp.  Amos  ii.  6.  The  Vulgate  renders  the  last  part  of  the  verse  thus : 
"  et  contemnam  illud  hodie,  restituamque  vobis.''  "  I  will  despise  it  {i.g., 
the  bribe)  to-day,  and  restore  it  to  you.'' 


112  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

themselves  ;  they  had  no  ground  of  dissatisfaction  with  his 
government,  and  yet  they  had  been  impatient  and  eager  for 
change.  Samuel's  object  in  defending  himself  from  any  charge 
of  malversation  was  not  simply  a  personal  matter  ;  he  desired 
to  vindicate  the  justice  of  God's  government,  and  to  demonstrate 
the  unreasonableness  of  the  people's  demand.  "Yes,"  he  says, 
"  Jehovah  is  witness  against  you,  even  that  Lord  who  has  done 
such  mighty  works  in  your  behalf  in  old  time."  And  then  he 
recalls  to  mind  some  prominent  facts  in  their  history.  It  was 
Jehovah  who  made  Moses  and  Aaron  what  they  were,  advanced 
them  to  their  high  offices,  and,  acting  as  Israel's  king,  inaugurated 
their  national  life  by  leading  them  out  of  Egypt.  He  shows 
how  often,  when  for  their  sins  they  were  punished  by  oppression 
at  the  hands  of  powerful  enemies,  the  Lord  had  listened  to 
their  repentant  cry  and  raised  up  heroes  to  deliver  them  from 
calamity  ;  never  had  He  failed  to  protect  and  govern  them ; 
never  had  He  given  them  occasion  to  want  any  other  ruler  ;  He 
had  always  been  true  to  His  promise,  as  their  records  proved. 
The  series  of  these  "righteous  acts  "  began  with  the  great  proof 
of  love  in  the  Exodus  from  Egypt  and  the  settlement  in  Canaan. 
And  when  they  were  settled  in  the  Promised  Land,  and  for  their 
sin  of  idolatry,  which  was  rebellion  against  the  invisible  King, 
were  given  over  to  their  foes,  always  on  their  repentance  did 
the  Lord  interpose  in  their  behalf.  At  one  time  they  were 
grievously  oppressed  by  the  Canaanites  under  Sisera,  captain  of 
the  army  of  Hazor  ;  but  when  they  turned  unto  the  Lord,  He 
sent  Barak '  to  deliver  them,  and  Sisera  perished  miserably 
by  a  woman's  hand.  At  another  time  Eglon,  king  of  Moab,  fought 
against  them  ;  at  another,  the  Philistines  had  them  in  subjection. 
All  this  happened  to  punish  them  for  serving  other  gods,  worship- 
ping the  Baals  and  Astartes  which  were  reckoned  tutelar  deities 
by  the  neighbouring  heathens.  But  when,  learning  obedience  by 
the  things  which  they  suffered,  they  renounced  idolatry  and 
turned  to  their  own  King,  Jehovah,  He  had  mercy  upon  them, 

^  Instead  of  "  Barak''  the  present  Hebrew  text  gives  "  Bedan,"  a  name 
which  occurs  only  in  i  Chron.  vii.  17,  where  the  person  so  called  is  utterly 
unknown  to  history.  The  LXX.,  the  Syriac  and  Arabic  Versions  have  Barak. 
In  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  (chap.  xi.  32),  Gideon,  Barak,  Samson 
and  Jephthah  are  mentioned  together.  The  present  word  is  prob- 
ably a  mi^rgading,  as  Barak  and  Bedan  in  Hebrew  might  be  easily 
roistakep, 


SAMUEL   ABDICATES.  II3 

and  raised  up  deliverers — Gideon,  Jephthah,  and  Samuel.'  Yes, 
they  must  have  forgotten  that  under  Samuel  himself  they  had 
gained  a  great  victory  over  the  Philistines,  and  deliverance  from 
their  long  tyranny  ;  and  then  when  they  were  threatened  by 
Nahash  the  Ammonite,  they  did  not  turn  to  the  judge  whom 
they  had  among  them,  but  clamoured  for  a  change  ;  and 
though  the  Lord  was  their  King,  their  ungrateful  word  was  : 
"  Nay,  but  a  king,  an  earthly  king,  shall  reign  over  us."  Well, 
they  had  insisted  on  having  a  king  ;  and  now  their  desire  was 
fulfilled.  Jehovah  had  Himself  chosen  a  monarch  for  them,  to 
be  His  representative.  Henceforward  their  future  welfare  de- 
pended wholly  upon  their  piety  and  obedience  ;  they  were  still 
under  moral  government  ;  because  they  had  chosen  an  earthly 
\  ruler,  they  were  not  released  from  the  duty  of  fealty  to  their 
'jheavenly  King.  Samuel  here  makes  a  solemn  appeal,  ending 
in  an  aposiopesis  (which  is  more  expressive  than  any  verbal 
apodosis),  like  that  of  Moses  (Exod.  xxxii.  32)  :  "Yet  now,  if 
Thou  wilt  forgive  their  sin  —  if  not,"  &c.  Then  he  con- 
tinues :  "  If  ye  will  fear  the  Lord,  and  serve  Him,  and  hearken 
unto  His  voice,  and  not  rebel  against  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord,  and  if  both  ye  and  also  the  king  that  reigneth  over  you 
follow  after  the  Lord  your  God"  (it  shall  be  well) ;  "but  if  ye 
will  not  hearken  unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  but  rebel  against 
the  commandment  of  the  Lord,  then  shall  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
be  against  you  as  it  was  against  your  fathers." ""  They  had  in 
some  vague  way  connected  past  troubles  with  the  form  of 
government  under  which  they  had  lived,  and  had  thought  that  in 
the  presence  of  their  king  all  evils  would  vanish,  all  calamities 
I  would  be  repelled  ;  the  Prophet  gives  them  a  wiser  lesson,  and 
warns  them  that  their  prosperity  is  still,  as  heretofore,  con- 
ditioned by  their  conduct.  Their  restlessness  and  discontent 
had  arisen  from  distrust  of  God's  care  ;  they  cried  aloud  for 
change  of  constitution,  when  they  ought  to  have  given  diligence 
to  improve  their  life  and  actions  ;  no  external  arrangement  of 

»  The  Syriac  Version  reads  "  Samson  "  here,  the  alteration  being  made 
doubtless  to  obviate  the  difficulty  of  the  speaker  introducing  his  own  name. 
One  Greek  Version,  of  no  great  authority,  also  reads  Samson  ;  but  there  is  no 
sufficient  ground  lor  changing  the  reading  of  the  Hebrew  and  all  the  versions. 

^  The  Hebrew  runs  :  *'  against  you  and  your  fathers  "  ;  but  the  conjunc- 
tion is  used  in  a  comparative  sense,  and  the  English  rendering  is  conect. 
The  LXX.  read :  "  against  you  and  against  your  king." 

9 


114  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

government  could  secure  prosperity  without  conformity  to  the 
will  and  law  of  God.  Do  they  need  proof  of  the  truth  of  what 
he  has  said  unto  them,  and  that  his  words  were  authorized  by 
God  Himself?  let  them  come  near  and  range  themselves  in 
solemn  order,  and  see  how  the  Lord  would  confirm  His  ser- 
vant's warning.  It  was  now  the  time  of  wheat-harvest,  lasting 
from  the  middle  of  May  till  the  middle  of  June,  when  rain  is 
almost  unknown  in  Palestine.  But  now,  to  show  the  people  their 
sin  in  doubting  the  overruling  providence  of  God,  and  to  teach 
that  His  judgments  were  always  ready  to  fall  upon  the  ungodly, 
Samuel  stands  and  calls  upon  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  hearkens 
to  his  invocation,  and  a  heavy  storm  of  thunder  and  rain  en- 
sues. The  Israelites  were  ever  prone  to  see  signs  and  omens 
in  such  untimely  occurrences.  In  the  present  case  they 
had  good  cause  for  terror.  For  this  unusual  storm  had 
happened  in  answer  to  Samuel's  prayer,  and  their  conscience 
assured  them  that  they  deserved  God's  wrath.  A  whole- 
some fear  filled  their  breasts,  and  trembling  at  the  voice  of 
heaven,  and  fearing  for  their  life  as  well  as  their  property,  they 
came  suppliant  to  Samuel,  acknowledged  their  great  fault  in 
demanding  a  king,  and  prayed  him  to  execute  his  intercessory 
office  in  their  behalf.  "  Pray  for  thy  servants,"  they  cry,  as  the 
loud  thunder  peals,  and  the  floods  of  rain  descend,  "  Pray  for 
thy  servants  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  that  we  die  not."  They 
speak  of  "//zy  God"  as  though  conscious  that  they  had  vir- 
tually rejected  Jehovah,  and  were  no  longer  worthy  to  be  called 
His  peculiar  people.  It  was  a  true  confession,  a  sincere  acknow- 
ledgment of  guilt,  and  was  accepted  as  such.  Softened  by  their 
appeal,  the  stern  Prophet  relents.  "  Fear  not,"  he  says  ;  "  ye 
have  indeed  done  all  this  evil  ;  yet  despair  not  ;  press  on  now 
and  henceforward  in  the  right  way;  turn  not  aside  from  follow- 
ing the  Lord,  but  serve  Him  with  all  your  heart.  Yea,  turn  not 
aside  to  vain  idols  ^  which  cannot  profit  or  deliver  ;  and  the 
Lord  will  defend  you."  The  seer's  confidence  in  this  last  state- 
ment is  based  on  the  assurance  of  the  election  of  Israel. 
Although  the  weal  or  woe  of  individuals  depended  upon  their 

*  The  Angl.  Version,  "  For  then  should  ye  go  after  vain  things,"  is 
probably  incorrect  (i  Sam.  xii.  21),  The  particle  "for"  is  oiiiiittd  in  all 
the  versions,  and  seems  to  have  accidentally  slipped  into  the  Hebrew  text. 
The  LXX.  read,  "And  turn  not  aside  after  those  thai  are  nothing."  The 
"  vain  things  "  are  idols.     Comp.  Isa.  xliv.  q  ;  i  Cor.  viii.  4. 


SAMUEL   ABDICATES.  iI5 

conduct,  and  the  nation  might  bring  upon  itself  severe  calami- 
ties by  disobedience  and  rebellion,  yet,  as  it  had  been  choseit 
to  be  God's  inheritance  not  for  any  merit  of  its  own,  but  to 
carry  forward  His  purpose  for  the  redemption  of  mankind,  so  it 
must  continue  to  act  its  part  in  this  Divine  plan,  and  would  not 
be  finally  rejected,  so  as  to  make  God's  promises  of  none  effect. 
This  stupendous  truth,  inscrutable  by  human  reason,  was  firmly 
impressed  on  Samuel's  mind  ;  and  he  could  rest  calmly  on  the 
covenant  whereon  it  was  based,  and  from  it  preach  a  lesson  of 
confidence  and  hope.  In  answer  to  the  people's  request  that 
he  would  intercede  for  them,  he  expressed  his  firm  determina- 
tion to  do  this  in  spite  of  their  backsliding  and  ingratitude. 
"  God  forbid,"  he  says,  "that  I  should  sin  against  the  Lord  in 
ceasing  to  pray  for  you."  He  had  abrogated  his  office  as  judge  ; 
his  services  in  that  capacity  were  no  more  required  ;  but  two 
modes  of  benefiting  his  people  were  left ;  two  duties  remained 
for  the  aged  man  to  perform.  The  first  of  these  was  interces- 
sion. He  held  it  to  be  a  grievous  sin  to  neglect  this  impera- 
tive duty.  Here  was  a  weapon  which  he  could  ply  as  long  as 
life  should  last,  whose  force  he  well  knew,  of  whose  efficacy  he 
had  had  sure  experience  from  his  earliest  days.  For  this 
special  practice  he  was  celebrated  among  the  saints  of  Jewish 
history.    Thus  in  the  ninety-ninth  Psalm  we  read  ; 

*'  Moses  and  Aaron  among  His  priests, 
And  Samuel  among  them  that  call  upon  His  name— 
These  called  upon  the  Lord,  and  He  answered  them." 

And  in  the  Book  of  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  (chap.  xv.  i)  Moses 
and  Samuel  are  named  as  having  wonderful  influence  with  the 
Almighty  because  they  prayed  for  enemies.  This  duty  he  exer- 
cised with  all  the  earnestness  of  desire  for  Israel's  welfare  and 
faith  in  God.  The  other  way  in  which  he  could  continue  to  act 
as  the  benefactor  of  his  countrymen  was  by  teaching  them  "the 
good  and  the  right  way."  Though  he  was  ruler  no  longer,  he 
was  still  prophet,  the  inspired  instructor  and  guide  of  king  and 
subjects.  The  prophetic  function  he  never  surrendered.  In 
the  change  to  an  earthly  monarchy  the  theocracy  was  not  lost, 
but  the  earthly  m.onarch  was  controlled  and  instructed  by  the 
counsel  of  the  prophet,  who  was  the  mouthpiece  of  Jehovah. 
This  office  he  not  only  discharged  himself  with  unfailing  devo- 
tion and  disinterestedness,  but,  as  we  have  seen  above,  made 


Il6  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

provision  for  a  due  supply  of  such  counsellors  and  teachers  by 
establishing  the  schools  of  the  prophets.  "  Only  a  Samuel/' 
says  Ewald,"  summing  up  the  effect  of  these  proceedings  at 
Gilgal,  "  could  thus  quit  office,  proudly  challenging  all  to  con- 
vict him  of  one  single  injustice  in  his  past  career,  and  by  the 
act  of  resignation  gaining,  not  losing,  greatness.  No  longer 
Judge  and  Ruler,  but  simply  Prophet,  he  is  able  now  to  discourse 
with  the  greater  freedom  of  the  monarchy  about  to  be  intro- 
duced ;  and  he  seizes  the  moment  to  cast  a  more  distant  glance 
into  all  the  past  and  future  of  the  community.  That  the  recent 
conduct  of  the  nation  had  displayed  ingratitude  towards  Jahveh, 
its  true  King,  could  not  be  denied  ;  and  only  by  more  faithful 
service  of  Jahveh  in  future,  on  the  part  alike  of  king  and  people, 
can  the  ruin  they  have  deserved  be  averted."  He  concludes  his 
grave  address  by  appealing  not  only  to  the  wonder  just  wrought 
in  the  tempest  that  came  at  his  prayer  (a  miracle  which  no  vain 
idolater  could  work),^  but  also  to  the  mighty  acts  of  Jehovah 
done  of  old  in  their  behalf ;  and  he  leaves  them  with  the  dread 
rt^arning  ringing  in  their  ears  :  "  If  ye  shall  still  do  wickedly,  ye 
shall  be  consumed,  both  ye  and  your  king." 

«  "  Hist.,"  ii.  28.  •  Comp.  Jer.  xiv.  aa. 


CHAPTER  VIL 

SAUL'S  FIRST  REJECTION. 

Chronology  of  Saul's  reign — Saul  chooses  a  body-guard — Michmash — ^Jona- 
than destroys  the  column  at  Geba — Philistines  prepare  for  war  with 
overwhelming  force — Saul  retreats  to  Gilgal — Israelites  disheartened — 
Trial  of  Saul's  faith— His  failure  and  disobedience — His  sin  explained 
— He  is  punished  by  rejection — A  successor  is  announced — Samuel 
leaves  Saul. 

The  history  of  the  reign  of  Saul  commences  with  the  solemn 
ceremony  at  Gilgal  narrated  in  the  last  chapter.  The  age  of 
Saul  at  this  time  is  a  disputed  point.  One  would  naturally  have 
expected  that  the  writer  of  these  annals  would  have  here  given 
the  age  of  the  king  at  his  accession  and  the  number  of  the  years 
of  his  reign,  as  is  usual  in  such  documents.^  But  the  numbers 
have  been  altered  in,  or  have  fallen  out  of,  the  present  Hebrew 
text,^  which  can  only  be  translated :  "  Saul  was  the  son  of  a 
year  (/.<?.,  a  year  old),  when  he  began  co  reign  ;  and  he  reigned 
two  years  over  Israel."  The  Chaldee  Paraphrast  explains:  "  Saul 
was  innocent  as  a  one  year-old  child  when  he  began  to  reign." 
The  Latin  Vulgate  translates  the  Hebrew  literally  as  above  ; 
the  Septuagint  omits  the  verse  altogether,  though  there  is  a  gloss 
in  the  Hexapla  which  makes  him  thirty  years  old  at  this  time. 
The  authorised  version,  which  partly  agrees  with  the  Syriac, 
implies  that  he  had  reigned  one  year  when  the  inauguration  at 
Gilgal  took  place,  and  that  when  he  had  reigned  two  years  he 

*  Comp,  2  Sam.  ii.  lo  ;  v.  4;  i  Kings  xiv.  21 ;  xxii.  42  ;  2  Kings  viii.  17 
26  ;  xi.  21,  &c. 
'  I  Sam.  xiii.  i. 


Il8  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

did  what  is  next  recorded.  This  interpretation  was  unknown 
to  Joseph  us,  and  cannot  be  deduced  from  our  existing  text, 
where  the  error  has  arisen,  doubtless,  from  the  practice  of  de- 
noting numbers  by  letters.  The  gaps  or  omissions  in  the  present 
text  are  best  expressed,  as  in  the  "Speaker's  Commentary," 
and  Klostermann's  edition,  thus  :  "  Saul  was  .  .  .  years  old 
when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  .  .  .  and  two  years 
over  Israel."  It  is  possible  that  the  writer  originally  left  spaces 
in  his  manuscript,  intending  to  insert  the  numbers  after  an 
inspection  of  records,  and  that  this  was  never  done.  The  first 
gap  might  be  filled  up  by  replacing  "thirty-five,"  or,  "forty  ;  " 
for  as  immediately  afterwards  Jonathan,  his  son,  is  spoken  of 
as  commanding  a  portion  of  the  army,  Saul  must  have  been 
about  that  age  at  his  accession,  and  Jonathan  could  not  have 
been  less  than  twenty  when  occupying  that  responsible  position. 
His  son,  Mephibosheth,  was  five  years  old  at  his  father's  death 
(2  Sam.  iv.  4).  The  length  of  Saul's  reign  cannot  be  determined 
with  absolute  certainty.  St.  Paul  in  his  sermon  at  Antioch 
gives  the  traditionary  view  that  he  reigned  forty  years.* 
This  is  supposed  to  be  supported  by  the  statement  (2  Sam. 
ii.  10)  that  Ishbosheth,  Saul's  son,  was  forty  years  old  when 
he  succeeded  his  father ;  for  as  he  is  not  mentioned  among 
Saul's  children  in  the  list  given  in  i  Sam.xiv.  49,  it  is  argued 
that  he  must  have  been  born  after  his  father's  accession. 
But  this  is  most  uncertain  ;  the  Ishui  of  that  list  being 
perhaps  identical  with  Eshbaal  of  2  Chron.  viii.  34,  and  the 
same  as  Ishbosheth,  and  therefore  we  can  found  no  argument 
on  the  connection  of  his  birth  with  the  length  of  Saul's  reign. 
There  is  really  nothing  to  rest  upon  but  the  statement  of  St. 
Paul,  which  is  not  necessarily,  and  is  not  designed  to  be, 
definite  and  historical,  and  is  probably  determined  by  the 
desire  to  make  the  duration  of  the  first  monarch's  reign  equal 
to  those  of  David  and  Solomon.  Josephus,  in  one  place, 
calculates  the  forty  years  by  assigning  eighteen  years  to  him 
during  Samuel's  life,  and  twenty-two  after  the  prophet's  death. 
But,  as  we  have  seen  above  (p.  71),  the  "  twenty  "  is  probably  an 
interpolation,  and  the  correct  reading  is  "  two."  Others  have 
considered  that  the  traditional  view  includes  the  time  during 
which  Samuel  was  judge  with  him  and  before  him  ;  and  that 

«  Acts  xiii.  21 ;  Josephus,  "  Antiq."  vi.  14.  9. 


Saul's  first  rejection.  119 

Samuel  judged  Israel  for  twenty-two  years  by  himself,  and  six- 
teen in  conjunction  with  Saul  as  king,  and  that  Saul  survived 
Samuel  two  years/  We  are  justified,  from  considerations 
already  mentioned,  in  attributing  twenty  years  to  his  occupancy 
of  the  throne. 

It  was  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign  that  Saul  began  to  form 
the  nucleus  of  a  standing  army.  There  had  been  at  this  time 
a  cessation  of  hostilities  between  Israel  and  the  Philistines  ;  and 
while  the  latter  occupied  many  posts  in  Jewish  territory,  they 
did  not  actively  molest  their  opponents.  Saul  saw  that  his 
untrained  countrymen  could  not  at  once  hope  to  attack  with 
success  a  powerful  enemy.  He  was  fully  determined,  and  the 
counsels  of  Samuel  had  urged  him,  to  free  the  nation  from  the 
heathen  yoke  ;  but,  like  a  wise  general,  he  proceeded  with  due 
precaution.  Profiting  by  the  great  assembling  of  the  tribes  at 
Gilgal,  and  their  unanimous  acceptance  of  him  as  king,  he 
proceeded  to  select  a  band  of  valiant  and  skilful  warriors,  who 
might  not  only  act  as  a  body-guard  to  himself,  now  that  he 
had  assumed  kingly  state,  but  might  form  the  framework  of  a 
military  system,  and  train  the  whole  nation  to  arms.  At  this 
moment,  dismissing  the  rest  of  the  people,  he  contented  himself 
with  oganizing  a  picked  body  of  three  thousand  men,  keeping 
two  thousand  under  his  own  eye,  and  placing  one  thousand 
under  the  command  of  his  son  Jonathan.  This  is  the  first 
mention  of  that  gallant  and  ill-fated  prince,  the  friendship  be- 
tween whom  and  David  is  one  of  the  most  touching  circum- 
stances in  Scripture  history.  Comely  in  person,  brave  to  rash- 
ness, expert  in  the  use  of  weapons  of  war,  swift  of  foot  as  the 
gazelle,^  upright,  faithful,  affectionate,  Jonathan  has  well  been 
called  the  perfect  type  of  a  Jewish  warrior.  The  trust  reposed 
in  him  by  givingthis,  his  first  command,  was  abundantly  satisfied, 
and  he  handled  his  little  army  very  skilfully,  with  happy  daring 
seconding  his  father's  plans.  The  position  chosen  for  the  two 
companies  showed  no  mean  knowledge  of  strategy.  A  briei 
description  of  the  locality  will  best  explain  Saul's  tactics.^ 


«  So  Wordsworth. 

*  See  marginal  rendering  in  2  Sam.  i.  17,  R.  V. 

3  The  description  in  the  text  is  derived  mainly  from  Lieutenant  Conder's 
♦'  Tent  Work  "  (ii.  iioff.),  and  the  •*  Memoirs  "  of  the  Palestine  Explora- 


I20  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

A  great  valley,  some  twelve  miles  in  length,  has  its  head 
west  of  Ai  (the  modern  Haiyan,  a  ruin  close  to  the  village  of 
Deir  Diwan  and  still  showing  the  huge  cairn  raised  over  it  by 
Joshua),  and  curving  round  eastward  it  runs  down  to  Jericho. 
The  road  is  wonderfully  smooth  considering  the  mountainous 
district  which  it  traverses,  passing  over  a  kind  of  undulating 
plateau,  and  falling  more  than  2,000  feet  ere  it  debouches  on 
the  Dead  Sea,  A  similar  plateau  leads  eastward  to  Bethel. 
The  valley  is  now  called  the  Wady  Suweinit,  i.e.^  the  "  Valley 
of  the  Little  Thorn  Tree"  (which  recalls  the  name  of  the  crag 
Seneh,  "  thorn,"  mentioned  below),  and  was  in  old  times  the 
main  road  from  the  East  to  the  hill  country  of  central  Palestine. 
About  two  miles  from  its  head  the  valley  becomes  a  narrow 
gorge,  with  vertical  precipices  some  eight  hundred  feet  high. 
Approached  from  the  south  this  great  fissure  is  at  first  quite 
invisible  ;  but  following  the  path  down  the  steep  slopes  you 
come  to  a  sort  of  promontory,  from  whence  you  see,  what  it  had 
previously  shut  out  from  view,  the  true  pass  looking  very  grand 
with  precipitous  rock  on  either  side.  On  the  south  side  of  this 
chasm  stands  Geba  of  Benjamin  on  a  rocky  knoll,  with  caverns 
beneath  the  houses  and  arable  land  on  the  east.  Looking 
across  the  valley,  the  stony  hills  and  white  chalky  slopes  pre- 
sent a  desolate  appearance  ;  and  on  the  opposite,  or  north  side, 
considerably  lower  than  Geba,  is  the  little  village  of  Michmasb 
(Muckhmas),  situated  on  a  sort  of  saddle,  backed  by  an  open 
and  fertile  corn-valley.  About  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  village 
the  crag  is  crowned  by  a  sort  of  plateau  sloping  backwards  into 
a  round-topped  hill.  Bethel  lies  four  miles  to  the  north,  and 
the  interval  is  filled  up  by  a  range  of  hills  which  is  called  in 
our  narrative  "  Mount  Bethel  "  (i  Sam.  xii.  2).  In  Michmash, 
which  is  situated  less  than  a  mile  due  north  from  where  the 
valley  begins  to  contract,  and  on  some  other  heights  in  the 
neighbourhood,  Saul  posted  his  two  thousand  choice  warriors, 
with  the  object  of  watching  the  movements  of  the  PhiHstines 
should  they  venture  to  push  southwards.  Jonathan  with  his 
troops  was  stationed  at  Gibeah,  the  old  home  of  his  father, 

lion  Fund,  I  have  also,  by  the  kindness  of  Mr.  W.  Robertson  Smith,  the 
courteous  Librarian  of  the  Cambridge  University  Library,  been  permitted 
to  use  some  extracts  from  his  Diary  made  on  the  spot  during  his  travels  in 
1879.  Dr.  Geikie's  *'  The  Holy  Land  and  the  Bible  "  has  also  greatly  helped 


SAUL'S   FIRST  REJECTION.  121 

where  he  would  have  the  support  of  his  family  and  friends,  and, 
possibly,  the  assistance  of  an  able  counsellor  and  leader,  Abner, 
his  near  kinsman.  Thus,  for  some  time,  the  two  parties  stood 
closely  observing  each  other,  but  abstaining  from  active  opera- 
tions. At  length  the  impetuous  Jonathan,  tired  of  inaction,  and 
inwardly  vexed  at  the  daily  sight  of  the  great  Philistine  pillar 
which  reared  itself  on  the  hill-side  as  a  token  of  the  heathen 
supremacy,  could  not  restrain  the  impulse  to  do  an  act  which 
would  at  once  animate  his  countrymen  and  show  the  enemy 
that  the  Israelites  were  capable  of  asserting  their  independence. 
With  his  father's  full  connivance,  he  suddenly  demolished  the 
monument  ^  whatever  it  was,  and  prepared  to  abide  the  con- 
sequences. These  were  serious,  though  not  altogether  unex- 
pected. The  Philistines  heard  of  what  had  happened,  and  saw 
that  the  proceeding  meant  revolt.  Saul,  too,  had  thrown  down 
the  gauntlet,  and  followed  up  the  action  by  rousing  his  people 
to  immediate  preparation.  The  trumpet  of  alarm  was  sounded 
throughout  the  country,  and  the  exploit  of  Jonathan  was  pro- 
claimed everywhere  by  a  formal  announcement  commencing 
with  the  old  formula  :  "  Let  the  Hebrews  hear."  Thus  with 
the  blast  of  the  trumpet  Ehud  had  summoned  the  Ephraimites, 
and  Gideon  the  men  of  Abiezer,  even  as  in  earlier  days  the 
assembhng  and  the  movements  of  the  host  in  the  wilderness 
were  regulated  by  the  sound  of  the  silver  trumpets.^ 

The  news  of  this  event  roused  the  Philistines  to  fury.  They 
had  viewed  with  grave  suspicion  the  election  of  an  Israelite 
king  ;  the  subsequent  victory  over  the  Ammonites,  and  the 
fame  thereby  acquired  by  Saul,  warned  them  of  danger,  which 
was  rendered  more  imminent  by  the  fact  that  he  had  gathered 
around  him  a  body  of  trained  soldiers.  So  they  made  imme- 
diate and  extensive  preparations  for  war  ;   and  Saul,  lest  he 

»  The  Authorized  Version  (i  Sam.  xiii.  3)  is,  "Jonathan  smote  the  garrison 
of  the  Pliihstines  that  was  in  Geba."  For  this,  we  should  translate  :  "de- 
stroyed the  pillar  that  was  on  the  hill."  We  have  seen  above  that  the  word 
netsib  is  to  be  rendered  "  monument "  not  "garrison  ; "  and  it  is  most 
unlikely  that  if  the  Philistines  occupied  Geba,  thus  threatening  Benjamin 
and  Judah,  Saul  should  have  posted  himself  on  their  north  and  thus  left 
his  own  territory  undefended,  Ewald  considers  that  the  word  should  be 
rendered  "  officer,"  and  that  the  person  meant  was  placed  by  the  Philistines 
in  Gibeah  for  the  collection  of  tribute  remaining  due  after  former  levies 
("  Hist,  of  Israel,"  iii.  30).     This  is  an  assumption  incapable  of  proof. 

*  Judges  iii.  27  ;  vi.  14  ;  Numb.  x.  2  ff. 


122  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

should  be  overwhelmed  by  the  numbers  opposed  to  him,  with- 
drew down  the  Wady  Suweinit,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  opened 
a  ready  road  to  the  plain  of  the  Jordan.  He  posted  himself  at 
Gilgal,  the  old  headquarters  of  Joshua's  army,  and  the  most 
sacred  spot  in  all  the  land,  and  summoned  the  people  to  join 
him  there.  His  call  was  not  quickly  or  zealously  responded  to. 
Either  from  pusillanimity,  or  from  some  unexplained  want  of 
confidence  in  their  leader,  they  did  not  flock  in  large  numbers 
to  his  standard.  And  long  before  he  had  collected  any 
adequate  force,  the  Philistines  had  taken  the  field  with  an 
immense  army  which  he  was  entirely  unable  to  resist.  It  is 
true  that  the  numbers  given  in  our  present  text  are  quite  untrust- 
worthy ;  but  with  every  deduction,  they  are  such  as  to  show 
that  Israel  was  no  match  for  her  enemies  at  this  conjuncture. 
The  Philistines  are  said  to  have  had  "30,000  chariots  and  6,000 
horsemen,"  and,  as  the  writer  adds,  quoting  the  exaggerated 
account  which  the  frightened  messengers  gave,  "people  as  the 
sand  which  is  on  the  seashore  in  multitude."  Evidently  they 
had  made  a  great  effort,  had  enlisted  foreign  support,^  and 
marched  forth,  determined  at  one  blow  to  crush  the  rebellion 
and  exterminate  these  interlopers.  But  the  numbers  are  palpably 
erroneous.  The  proportion  between  the  chariots  and  horsemen 
is  absurd.  In  all  the  rolls  of  armies  which  have  reached  us,  the 
number  of  the  former  is  always  very  much  smaller  than  that  of 
the  latter ;  and  such  an  amount  of  war-chariots  is  unheard  of. 
Jabin  had  only  900 ;  Pharaoh  pursued  the  Israelites  with  600  ; 
and  Solomon  at  the  height  of  his  power  possessed  only  1,400." 
Three  hundred  ^  would  have  been  sufficient  for  all  purposes, 
and  even  these  would  have  been  of  little  efficacy  in  the  rocky 
country  where  they  were  used.  But  the  cavalry  and  infantry 
were  indeed  formidable.  As  Saul  retired  from  Michmash  and 
Bethel,  the  Philistines  occupied  these  posts,  and  holding  the 
passes,  prevented  reinforcements  from  reaching  the  king  from 
that  side.    The  northern  portion  of  the  district,  which  would 


»  Josephus,  "  Antiq.,"  vi.  6.  2. 

=*  Exod.  xiv.  7  ;  Judges  iv.  351  Kings  x.  26.  Comp.  i  Chron.  xviii.  4 ; 
2  Chron.  xii.  3  ;  2  Mace.  xiii.  2. 

3  As  Dean  Payne  Smith  notes,  the  Hebrew  letter  shin,  the  numeral  for 
300,  has  been  read  with  two  dots,  which  makes  its  value  3000. 


SAUL'S  FIRST  REJECTION.  1 23 

comprise  the  territory  of  Ephraim,  was  completely  overrun  by 
them  without  opposition.  The  Israelites  were  so  thoroughly 
disheartened  that  many  hid  themselves  in  the  caves  with  which 
the  limestone  hills  abounded,  and  in  the  dry  tanks  wherein 
during  the  rainy  season  water  was  stored  ;  some  retreated  to  the 
fastnesses  in  the  mountains  where  they  could  not  be  easily 
followed  ;  and  some  took  refuge  beyond  Jordan  in  the  country 
of  Gilead,  now  after  the  late  defeat  of  the  Ammonites  rendered 
a  secure  asylum.  Even  those  who  had  collected  round  Saul  at 
Gilgal  were  far  from  being  confident  ;  they  "  followed  him 
trembling.'*  They  were  in  despair  as  they  compared  their  own 
puny  force  with  the  mighty  host  arrayed  against  them ;  a 
cowardly  terror  replaced  their  late  patriotic  ardour  ;  they  had 
no  heart  for  the  contest  which  awaited  them,  and  fell  away  from 
their  king's  side  at  the  moment  of  peril. 

A  few  years  before  this  time,  when  Saul  was  first  consecrated 
to  his  office,  Samuel  had  solemnly  warned  the  young  king  that 
a  great  crisis  in  his  life  was  to  happen  at  Gilgal  There  the 
war  of  freedom  was  to  commence,  and  to  be  inaugurated  with 
sacrifices  and  offerings,  which  the  prophet  himself  was  to 
offer  ;  and  there  he  was  to  receive  Samuel's  final  directions, "^s. 
and,  remembering  that  he  was  the  servant  of  Jehovah,  to  act 
en  the  counsel  communicated  to  him  by  the  Lord's  minister. 
From  the  time  that  he  arrived  at  Gilgal,  he  was  ordered  to 
wait  seven  days  for  the  prophet's  appearance,  and  to  undertake 
nothing  till  the  religious  service  was  celebrated,  and  the 
seer  had  explained  to  him  how  he  should  act.  The 
command  was  plain  and  emphatic.  Doubtless,  during  the 
time  that  had  elapsed  since  the  order  was  first  delivered, 
Samuel  had  reminded  the  king  of  his  duty,  and  enjoined 
strict  obedience.  Now  the  time  of  trial  had  arrived.  Here 
he  was  at  Gilgal ;  a  momentous  crisis  was  before  him  ;  he 
had  but  to  trust  in  Jehovah  and  calmly  obey  His  servant, 
and  all  would  be  well.  And  Saul  failed  utterly.  He 
waited  with  increasing  impatience  for  Samuel's  promised 
arrival.  Day  by  day  his  position  at  Gilgal  appeared  more 
untenable ;  his  camp  on  the  open  plain  could  not  resist  an 
attack  ;  at  any  time  his  retreat  to  the  mountains  might  be  cut 
off;  continually  news  was  brought  of  the  progress  of  the 
Philistines  ;  continually  the  weak-hearted  people  slunk  away  ; 
even  the  greater  part  of  his  own  choice  soldiers  left  him  in  this 


124  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

emergency.     Perplexed  and  distracted  by  what  seemed  to  be 
opposing  duties,  Saul  knew  not  what  to  do.     Should  he  wait  in 
inaction  in  obedience  to  Samuel's  unreasonable  command,  and 
see  his  troops  fall  away,  and  his  hope  of  engaging  the  enemy 
successfully  ruined  ;  or  should  he  think  only  of  his  business  as 
king  and  general,  and  do  that  which  became  a  prudent  com- 
mander?    He  left  the  decision  to  the  last  moment ;  but  when 
the  seventh  day  dawned,  and  still  the  prophet  came  not,  his 
determination  was  taken  ;  he  hesitated  no  longer  ;  he  saw  that 
the  people  would  not  fight  unless  God's  favour  had  first  been 
secured  by  the  offering  of  sacrifice ;  so  he  called  for  the  burnt- 
offering  and  peace-offerings  which  had  been  prepared  for  Samuel's 
ministration,  and  by  the  hand  of  Ahiah,  the  priest  who  was 
present  at  Gilgal,^  he  offered  the  burnt-offering.     Scarcely  was 
the  first  part  of  the  ceremony  ended  ;  the  smoke  from  the  altar 
still  was  rising  to  the  heaven,  and  the  peace-offerings  had  not 
yet  been  presented,  when  Samuel  came  on  the  scene.     Either 
he  had  been  delayed  by  the  difficulty  of  making  his  way  through 
the  enemies'  lines,  or  he  had  been  divinely  directed  thus  to  try 
the  faith  and  patience  of  Saul.     It  was  towards  the  close  of  the 
seventh  day  that  he  suddenly  appeared  in  the  sight  of  the  im- 
patient king.   Always  filled  with  reverence  for  the  great  prophet 
to  whom  he  owed  so  much,  and  eager  to  do  him  public  honour, 
Saul  goes  forth  to  meet  him  with  humble  salutation.     Samuel 
looks  around,  sees  the  smoking  altar  and  the  remains  of  the 
victims,  and  asks  in  stern  displeasure  :  *'  What  hast  thou  done  ?  " 
Saul  does  not  simply  own  his  fault  and  plead  for  forgiveness  ; 
he  tries  to  excuse  his  action.    **  Because  I  saw,"  he  says,  urging 
three  pleas,  "  that  the  people  were  scattered  from  me,  and  that 
thou  camest  not  within  the  days  appointed,  and  that  the  Philis- 
tines assembled  themselves  together  at  Michmash  ;  therefore 
said  I,  Now  will  the  Philistines  come  down  upon  me  to  Gilgal, 
and  I  have  not  entreated  the  favour  of  the  Lord  :  I  forced  my- 
self, therefore,  and  offered  the  burnt-offering."     What  was  the 
reply  of  Samuel  ?    Was  the  excuse  valid  in  his  eyes  !     Nay,  it 
but  aggravated  the  guilt,  showed  that  the  culprit  knew  what  he 
was  doing  and  sinned  wilfully.    "  Thou  hast  done  foolishly  " — as 
there  is  no  folly  greater  than  disobedience — "  thou  hast  not 
kept  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  thy  God  which  He  com- 

'  See  I  Sam.  xiv.  3. 


SAUL'S   FIRST   REJECTION.  I25 

manded  thee."  It  has  often  been  asked,  what  special  command 
Saul  had  broken  ?  and  what  was  the  sin  which  brought  upon 
him  the  punishment  denounced  ?  Many  have  thought  that  his 
error  consisted  in  the  usurpation  of  the  priest's  office,  in  offering 
with  his  own  hand  the  oblations  which  appertained  to  the 
sacerdotal  function.  But  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he 
did  this.  We  find  that  he  has  a  priest  with  him  immediately 
after  this  transaction,  and  kings  are  often  said  to  offer  sacrifice 
when  we  know  that  they  did  so  by  the  hands  of  the  lawful 
minister.'  Neither  does  Samuel  accuse  him  of  intrusion  into 
the  priest's  office.  In  the  present  abeyance  of  discipline,  and 
the  severance  of  the  ark  and  the  tabernacle,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  offering  of  a  sacrifice  by  an  anointed  king  would 
have  been  considered  a  crime  such  as  that  of  Uzziah 
in  later  days  and  under  different  circumstances.^  At  any  rate 
there  is  no  mention  of  any  such  charge  in  Saul's  case.  The 
command  which  he  broke  was  that  given  three  years  before,  viz., 
to  wait  for  the  prophet's  blessing  and  the  prophet's  directions 
before  taking  any  steps  in  deliverance  of  his  people  from  heathen 
thraldom.  This  command  included  much.  It  was  really  a  test 
whereby  should  be  proved  whether  the  king  was  a  theocratic 
ruler  or  a  self-willed  despot,  whether  he  would  take  his  directions  / 
from  the  co-ordinate  authority  of  the  inspired  prophet,  or  be  guided 
solely  by  his  own  will  and  caprice.  The  working  of  the  two 
independent  powers,  the  regal  and  the  prophetic,  was  tried  by  the 
order  in  question.  It  had  been  virtually  repeated  at  the  renewal 
of  the  kingdom  at  Gilgal,  when  the  seer  had  bidden  him  to  fear 
the  Lord  and  to  serve  Him  in  truth  with  all  the  heart,  and  had 
added  the  warning  that,  if  he  did  wickedly,  he  and  his  people 
should  be  consumed. ^  This  command,  confirmed  originally  b 
the  exact  fulfilment  of  the  three  appointed  signs,  and  enjoi n«='r 
in  many  other  words  since  then,  Saul  deliberately  broke. 
fihal  fear  and  dependence  which  were  required,  he  r^jc^ 
Whereas  his  appointment  and  continuance  in  office  were  con- 
ditioned by  unquestioning  obedience,  he  had  failed  on  the  first  ^ 
great  occasion  of  its  being  called  into  exercise.  Doubtless  he  had' 
ere  now  shown  symptoms  of  the  same  independence  and  self-will, 
but  the  present  is  recorded  by  the  historian  as  a  typical  instance, 


'  2  Sam.  xxiy.  25  ;     x  Kings  iii.  4  ;  viii.  63.        ■  2  Chron.  xxvi.  16. 
3  I  Sam.  xii.  2d.  ff. 


126  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

and  as  that  which  led  to  serious  and  lasting  consequences.  At  the 
bottom  of  all  his  error  lay  distrust  in  Divine  help,  and  over- 
weening confidence  in  human  prudence  and  sagacity.  True,  he 
offered  sacrifice  in  imprecation  of  the  favour  of  Jehovah  ;  but 
this  he  did  not  from  any  really  devout  feeling,  but  chiefly  for 
the  effect  which  it  might  have  upon  the  people.  It  was  rather 
in  satisfaction  of  popular  prejudice,  than  with  any  desire  ot 
pleasing  God,  that  he  called  for  the  arranged  sacrifice.  The 
externals  of  religion  were  all  that  he  cared  for  ;  he  had  fallen 
into  that  spirit,  so  often  and  so  strongly  denounced  by  the  later 
prophets,  the  spirit  which  regarded  the  outward  act  as  every- 
thing, and  which  deemed  that  ceremonial  observances  would  be 
accepted  where  reverence,  faith,  and  moral  obedience  were 
wanting.  What  did  such  a  man  think  of  the  stories  which  told 
of  deliverances  granted  in  earlier  times,  of  the  victories  of  Joshua, 
of  battles  gained  against  overwhelming  odds,  when  the  Lord 
fought  for  His  people  .-*  Did  he  think  that  the  Lord's  arm  was 
shortened,  that  nothing  of  the  kind  was  to  be  expected  now-a- 
days,  that  the  earthly  king  had  no  dependence  upon  the  heavenly 
King  whose  vicegerent  he  was,  and  needed  no  supernatural 
assistance  ?  If  so — and  his  action  proved  that  this  was  the  case 
— he  had  altogether  misconceived  the  position  of  Israel  and  its 
ruler.  The  prosperity  and  existence  of  the  people  depended 
wholly  upon  obedience  to  theocratic  government ;  with  the  help 
and  favour  of  their  invisible  King  they  were  strong  and  suc- 
cessful, without  them  they  were  powerless  and  humiliated.  How 
could  one  who  despised  or  ignored  this  primary  principle  be  fit 
to  govern  Israel  ?  Could  the  government  be  rightly  entrusted 
to  one  who  showed  such  a  dangerous  disposition  ?  This  open 
violation  of  the  first  condition  of  national  life  could  not  be  passed 
-ver  unnoticed.  The  king's  example  might  lead  to  a  general 
diation  of  dependence  upon  Jehovah,  terminating  in  apostasy 
..a  mfidelity  ;  the  childhke  faith  which,  while  simply  obeying, 
waits  for  deliverance  in  God's  good  time,  which  is  content  to 
stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  would  have 
received  a  severe  check  ;  and  men  would  have  been  tempted  to 
trust  to  national  sagacity  and  the  arm  of  flesh  rather  than  to  the 
commands  of  God  and  the  counsels  of  His  ministers.  And  as 
Saul  was,  so  would  his  posterity  be.  Therefore  to  continue  the 
monarchy  in  his  line  would  only  perpetuate  the  evil.     The  pro- 


SAUL'S  FIRST  REJECTION.  1 27 

longation  -of  the  succession  in  the  same  family  was  a  boon  desired 
by  all  occupants  of  a  throne.  The  prayer,  "  Grant  the  king  a 
long  life,  may  his  years  be  as  many  generations,"  ^  was  the 
natural  outpouring  of  the  wish  for  the  preservation  of  a  dynasty. 
But  this  duration  was  to  be  refused  to  Saul.  It  had  indeed  never 
been  promised  ;  but  he  had  now  shown  himself  unworthy  of  it 
And  then  the  prophet  pronounces  his  doom,  not  his  final  rejec- 
tion (for  he  might  by  repentance  have  regained  the  Lord's 
favour),  but  a  punishment  which  should  affect  his  posterity. 
Had  he  proved  himself  a  humble  and  obedient  servant  of  Jeho- 
vah, his  kingdom  would  have  been  "established  upon  Israel  for 
ever,"  in  his  family.  "  But  now,"  the  prophet  announces,  "  thy 
kingdom  shall  not  continue."  He  was  to  remain  king  himself; 
nothing  is  as  yet  said  of  his  personal  rejection  ;  that  was  to  follow 
on  the  occasion  of  another  and  more  aggravated  disobedience. 
It  is  the  kingdom,  not  the  king,  that  is  here  denounced.  No 
son  should  succeed  to  his  honours  ;  a  successor  had  already  in 
God's  counsels  been  provided.  "  The  Lord  hath  sought  Him  a 
man  after  His  own  heart,  and  the  Lord  hath  commanded  him  to 
be  prince  over  His  people."  It  was  many  years  afterwards  that 
David,  the  future  king,  was  appointed  ;  as  he  was  only  thirty 
years  old  at  the  time  of  Saul's  death,  ="  he  must  have  been  at 
this  moment  in  his  early  youth.  But  with  God  the  future  is 
present;  in  His  foreknowledge  things  to  come  are  accomplished 
facts,  and  His  purposes  are  completed  deeds.  So  the  prophet 
speaks  of  the  choice  as  already  made,  and  the  selected  person 
as  of  a  certain  high  character,  though  for  fear  of  awakening 
Saul's  jealousy  he  does  not  mention  his  name  and  family,  if  he 
knew  them  as  yet.  This  new  monarch  was  not  to  supersede 
Saul,  or  to  reign  while  Saul  lived,  but  to  take  that  place  which 
the  family  of  the  present  king  would  have  assumed  had  he  been 
found  worthy.  And  now  for  a  time  the  old  prophet  sorrowfully 
leaves  the  wilful  king,  not  without  hope  that  he  may  yet  see  his 
error,  and  by  timely  repentance  avert  the  threatened  doom. 
For  Samuel  well  knew  that  God's  judgments,  as  well  as  His 
promises,  are  conditional,  not  over-riding  man's  free  will,  but 
depending  for  their  fulfilment  on  human  conduct.  So,  sadly,  he 
turns  homeward  to  his  house  at  Ramah,  stopping  for  awhile  on 
his  way  at  Gibeah  to  encourage  the  people  and  the  little  band 

»  Psa.  Ixi.  6.  »  a  Sam.v.  4. 


128  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

of  soldiers  there,  and  to  convey  the  king's  injunctions  to  his  son 
Jonathan.  These  orders  were  to  take  the  earliest  opportunity 
of  uniting  his  forces  with  his  father's,  that  together  they  might 
make  a  stand  against  the  invaders.'  Meantime,  Saul's  troops 
had  dwindled  away  ;  he  had  gained  nothing  by  his  disobedience  ; 
the  very  object  of  his  self-willed  sacrifice  had  not  been  fulfilled  ; 
the  dispersion  of  the  people  had  not  been  prevented,  and  when, 
before  moving  from  Gilgal,  he  numbered  his  troops,  he  found 
that  only  six  hundred  remained  with  him. 

*  The  Septuagint,  with  the  intention  of  filling  a  supposed  gap  between 
the  two  portions  of  i  Sam.  xiii.  15,  has  introduced  a  gloss  which  is  somewhat 
unintelligible  :  "  and  Samuel  arose  and  went  from  Gilgal  (on  his  way,  Alex.) ; 
and  the  rest  of  the  people  went  up  after  Israel  to  meet  the  people  of  war. 
And  when  they  had  come  from  Gilgal  unto  Gibeah  of  Benjamin,  then  Saul 
inspected  the  people,"  &c.  One  wants  to  know  whence  came  these 
"people  of  war,"  and  how,  in  spite  of  these  reinforcements,  Saul  could 
muster  only  600  men. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BATTLE    OF    MICHMASH. 

Saul  at  Geba— The  Philistines  devastate  the  land— Jonathan  and  his 
armour-bearer  attack  their  garrison— The  Philistines,  panic-stricken,  fly 
— Sauljoinsin  the  pursuit— Great  slaughter  of  the  Philistines— Saulsrash 
vow  ;  broken  unwittingly  by  Jonathan — The  violater  discovered  by  lot 
— Jonathan  rescued  from  death  by  the  people. 

Marching  from  Gilgal  with  his  diminished  force,  Saul  posted 
himself  in  a  strong  position  at  Geba/  a  village,  as  we  have 
seen,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Wady  Suweinit,  about  two  miles 
east  of  Ramah,  whence  he  could  observe  the  tactics  of  the  enemy 
opposite  to  him  at  Michmash,  and  check,  or  at  any  rate  harass, 
their  troops  if  they  attempted  to  enter  further  into  the  territory 
of  Benjamin.  Here  he  was  joined  by  Jonathan  with  his  small 
company  of  picked  warriors.'  It  was  a  prudent  movement,  and 
showed  the  skill  of  an  intelligent  commander.  We  do  not  know 
why  the  Philistines  had  not  crushed  his  little  army  on  the  plain 
of  Jordan,  where  their  cavalry  and  chariots  would  have  had  free 
scope  for  their  operations,  and  the  Israelites  could  have  offered 
no  opposition.  Why  again  they  permitted  their  enemies  to 
retreat  unmolested  to  the  fastness  of  Geba  and  intrench  them- 
selves there,  is  equally  unintelligible  to  a  military  view.  Pro- 
bably, conscious  of  their  own  immense  superiority,  the  Philistines 
utterly  despised  their  antagonists,  and  feeling  able  to  overwhelm 

*  The  Authorized  Version  reads  (i  Sam.  xiii.  i6)  wrongly:  "  Gibeah  of 
Benjamin  "  ;  the  Revised  gives  "  Geba." 

2  The  LXX.  to  the  clause  (i  Sam.  xiii.  i6)  :  "abode  in  Gibeah  of 
Benjamin,"  add:  "and  wept,''  which  reminds  one  of  Chap,  xi.  4,  but  is 
not  very  suitable  to  the  character  of  Saul  and  Jonathan. 

10 


130  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

them  at  any  moment,  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  interfere  with 
their  movements  till  the  time  came  for  striking  a  final  blow. 
Meanwhile  they  turned  their  attention  to  devastating  the  land 
that  lay  open  to  their  troops.  Retaining  the  camp  at  Michmash 
as  their  central  station,  they  despatched  companies  of  marauders 
in  various  directions.  No  opposition  could  be  offered,  and 
terrible  suffering  ensued.  The  historian  carefully  notes  the 
course  of  these  plundering  expeditions.  The  south  alone  was 
barred  by  the  presence  of  Saul's  forces  ;  the  rest  of  the 
country  was  at  their  mercy.  So  one  company  of  these 
light-armed  forayers  turned  northward  to  Ophrah,  '  a  town 
near  Ai,  five  miles  north-east  of  Bethel,  thirteen  from  Jeru- 
salem, and  now  represented  by  the  village  of  Tayibeh,  which 
stands  on  a  conspicuous  eminence.  From  it  a  wady,  afterwards 
occupied  by  a  Roman  road,  runs  down  to  the  Jordan  valley. 
A  second  company  turned  westward  towards  Beth-Horon,  now 
Beit  Ur,  the  place  renowned  for  Joshua's  victory  over  the 
Amorite  king  (Josh,  x.),  and  situated  on  the  main  approach  from 
Philistia  to  the  interior  of  the  country.  A  third  band  extended 
its  ravages  to  the  Jordan  valley  on  the  south-east,  which  is 
here  called  the  "Valley  of  Zeboim."  In  such  raids  a  considerable 
time  was  spent.  Probably  we  have  here  the  summary  of  events 
that  occupied  a  year  or  two.  By  the  end  of  that  time  the 
condition  of  the  Israelites  was  sufficiently  miserable.  It  had 
always  been  the  policy  of  the  Philistines  to  deprive  the  conquered 
of  their  arms.  It  is  noted  that  the  Judge  Shamgar,  who  is  said 
to  have  delivered  Israel,  slew  the  Philistines  with  an  ox  goad  ; ' 
and  in  the  history  of  Samson's  achievements  there  is  no  mention 
of  sword  or  spear  being  used  by  him  or  those  around  him.  The 
Israelites  had  indeed  obtained  a  supply  of  arms  from  their 
enemies  after  the  successful  battle  of  Ebenezer,  but  of  these  they 
had  been  deprived  directly  the  Philistines  recovered  their 
supremacy.  The  same  fate  had  befallen  the  spoil  won  from  the 
defeated  Ammonites.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  custom  of  the 
Philistines  at  stated  times  to  make  a  visitation  of  the  conquered 
territories,  levying  tribute,  collecting  arms,  plundering  villages, 
and  erecting  trophies  of  their  successes  in  various  places.     At 

*  This  is  described  (ch.  xiii.  17)  as  being  in  **  the  land  of  Shual,"  i.e., 
"of  jnclcals,"  a  local  name,  not  identified,  but  perhaps  the  same  as  "Shalim" 
jch.ix.  4). 

''Judges  iii.  31. 


BATTLE  OF  MICHMASH.  131 

the  present  time  they  had  not  only  deprived  the  Israelites  of  all 
means  of  offence,  but  carried  off  all  the  smiths  and  armourers 
from  the  district,  so  that  the  writer,  speaking  of  his  own  days, 
and  of  the  territories  of  Benjamin  and  Judah  with  which  he  was 
most  familiar,  could  truthfully  say  :  "There  was  no  smith  found 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Israel  ;  for  the  Philistines  said.  Lest 
the  Hebrews  make  them  swords  or  spears."  ^  Even  to  sharpen 
their  agricultural  implements,  their  ploughshares,  sickles,  axes, 
and  mattocks,  they  had  to  apply  to  the  nearest  Philistine  settle- 
ment, and  this  was  found  to  be  so  troublesome  and  degrading 
that  many  let  their  tools  rust  and  become  useless,  rather  than 
submit  to  the  terms  imposed.*  Very  few  of  the  Israelites  there- 
fore were  efficiently  armed,  being  quite  unable  to  meet  on  equal 
terms  their  enemies,  who  were  clad  in  defensive  mail  and  fully 
equipped  with  sword  and  spear.  It  is  most  probable  that  the 
Hebrews  were  possessed  of  bows  and  arrows,  to  the  use  of  which 
they  were  well  trained  ;  and  the  skill  of  the  Benjamites  with  the 
sling  was  notorious.  But  their  "  artillery  "^  was  of  httle  avail 
against  soldiers  protected  by  breast-plate,  helmet,  and  shield 
of  metal  ;  so  that  they  had  little  hope  of  successfully  attacking 
their  opponents,  and  were  compelled  to  stand  on  the  defensive 
only,  and  to  see  their  homesteads  plundered  and  their  land 
desolated  without  making  any  attempt  at  rescue. 

The  Philistines  now  pushed  forward  a  post  from  their  camp 
at  Michmash  to  an  eminence  somewhat  nearer  to  Geba,  that 
they  might  be  more  ready  to  intercept  the  Israelites,  should  they 
attempt  any  onward  movement.  The  camp  of  the  Philistines  is 
described  by  Josephus,'*  who  must  have  been  familiar  with  the 

*  I  Sam.  xiii.  19.     See  Hummel,  in  loc. 

■  The  Hebrew  here  (ch.  xiii.  20,  21)  is  very  confused,  and  is  variously 
translated.  The  explanation  given  above  is  adapted  from  Bunsen.  The 
word  translated  "file"  is  now  considered  to  mean  "  bluntness,"  and  the 
whole  passage  is  thus  rendered  by  Dean  Payne  Smith  :  "  But  all  the  Israelites 
went  down  to  the  Philistines  to  sharpen  his  sickle,  and  his  plough-share, 
and  his  axe,  and  his  mattock,  whenever  the  edges  of  the  mattocks,  and  the 
plough-shares,  and  the  forks,  and  the  axes  were  blunt,  and  also  to  set  the 
goads."  The  LXX.  represent  ver.  21  by  the  following  :  "  Now  the  harvest 
was  ready  to  reap.  And  the  tools  were  (sliarpened)  at  three  shekels  for  a 
tooth  [i.e.  for  each  tool),  and  for  the  axe  and  the  sickle  there  was  the  same 
rate." 

3  I  Sam.  XX.  4a     Comp.  xvii,  5  f. 

♦  "Antiq."  vi.  6.2. 


132  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

locality,  as  being  situated  on  a  very  steep  hill  with  three  tops, 
ending  in  a  long,  sharp  tongue,  and  protected  by  cliffs  which 
almost  surrounded  the  tents.  "  Exactly  such  a  natural  fortress," 
says  Lieutenant  Conder/  "is  found  east  of  Michmash,  and  it 
is  still  called  'the  Fort '  by  the  peasantry."  It  is  described  as  "  a 
ridge  rising  in  three  rounded  knolls  above  a  perpendicular  crag, 
ending  in  a  narrow  tongue  to  the  east  with  cliffs  below,  and 
having  an  open  valley  behind  it,  and  a  saddle  towards  the  west 
on  which  Michmash  itself  is  situate.  Opposite  this  fortress,  on 
the  south,  there  is  a  crag  of  equal  height  and  seemingly  impas- 
sable ;  "  as  the  sacred  writer  says  (i  Sam.  xiv.  4),  "there  is  a 
sharp  rock  on  one  side,  and  a  sharp  rock  on  the  other."  The 
southern  cliff  is  called  Seneh,  the  northern  Bozez,  "  shining." 
The  valley,  of  which  Lieutenant  Conder  gives  a  drawing,  runs 
nearly  due  east,  and  thus  the  south  side  is  almost  entirely  in 
shade  during  the  day.  "  The  contrast  is  surprising  and  pictu- 
resque between  the  dark  cool  colour  of  the  south  side  and  the 
ruddy  or  tawny  tints  of  the  northern  cliff,  crowned  with  the 
gleaming  white  of  the  upper  chalky  strata." 

While  such  was  the  position  of  the  Philistine  camp,  Saul 
occupied  the  northern  extremity  of  the  hill  of  Geba,^  having 
set  up  his  spear,  the  emblem  of  command,  under  a  pomegranate 
tree,3  facing  Migron,  "  the  precipice."*     Here  he  watched  and 


*  "Tent  Work,'*  ii.  112  ff. 

=  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  Gibeah  of  Ch.  xiv.  2  is  not  Sanl's  city,  but 
Geba.  There  is  continual  confusion  between  the  Gibeah  of  Benjamin, 
Gibeah  of  Saul,  and  Geba.  The  LXX.  in  the  present  passage  translate  : 
"at  the  extremity  of  the  hill/'  taking  the  word  as  an  appellative.  They 
evidently  have  no  thought  of  Saul's  own  city  being  meant.  It  is  not  at  all 
likely  that  the  king  should  have  left  Jonathan,  where  we  find  him,  at  Geba, 
while  he  himself  with  the  bulk  of  his  forces  withdrew  to  Gibeah  ;  nor  is 
Michmash  visible  from  the  latter  place,  while  it  is  separated  from  Geba  only 
by  the  width  of  the  valley,  and  everything  done  there  could  be  plainly  seen 
from  the  Israelites'  position.  The  distance  from  Gibeah  to  Michmash 
which  places  are  separated  by  many  little  rugged  valleys)  is  too  great 
for  Saul  to  have  been  able  to  arrive  in  time  to  give  any  effective  help  to 
Jonathan  in  his  rash  enterprise. 

3  The  Hebrew  word  for  "pomegranate"  is  rimmon,  and  many  have 
thought  that  the  Rimmon  of  Judges  xx.  45,  where  the  defeated  Benjamites 
took  refuge,  is  here  meant.     But  this  is  a  mistake. 

4  See  Isa.  x.  28,  describing  Sennacherib's  march,  and  Cheyne's  note 
there  in  the  last  edition  of  his  commentary. 


BATTLE  OF  MICHMASH.  1 33 

waited,  fretting  at  inaction,  yet  too  weak  to  make  any  offensive 
movement.  But  there  was  one  fiery  spirit  in  his  army  who  bore 
this  quiescence  with  an  impatience  which  increased  every  day. 
Jonathan  could  ill  brook  the  sight  of  the  insolent  enemy  close 
before  him  and  exulting  in  his  superiority  ;  and  inspired  by  a 
Divine  impulse,  like  that  which  seized  on  Gideon,  and  Othniel, 
and  Samson,  he  determined  to  strike  one  desperate  blow  or 
perish  in  the  attempt.  He  told  not  his  father  of  his  intention  ; 
he  asked  no  counsel  of  the  High  Priest  Ahiah,  the  great-grand- 
son of  Eli,  who  was  present  there  with  the  Urim  and  Thummim, 
but  trusting  to  the  help  of  the  Most  High  and  his  own  strength 
and  courage,  he  undertook  one  of  the  strangest  enterprises 
which  any  hero  of  old  time  ever  attempted.  Looking  upon  the 
Israelites  as  an  undisciplined,  unarmed  rabble  from  whom  no 
danger  was  to  be  expected,  the  Philistines  kept  but  slight  watch, 
and  were  ill  prepared  to  resist  any  sudden  attack,  Jonathan 
saw  this  from  the  higher  ground  at  Geba,  and  determined  to 
take  advantage  of  it.  He  communicated  his  intention  to  his 
armour-bearer,  a  youth  animated  with  the  same  courage  and 
inspired  by  the  same  faith  in  Divine  protection  as  himself.  He 
makes  no  great  matter  of  the  proposition.  "Come,"  he  says, 
*'  let  us  go  over  to  the  garrison  of  these  uncircumcised  ;  it  may 
be  that  the  Lord  will  work  for  us ;  for  there  is  no  restraint  to  the 
Lord  to  save  by  many  or  by  few." '  The  armour-bearer  readily 
agreed  to  accompany  him,  and  to  share  the  danger  whatever  it 
might  be.  Before,  however,  actually  setting  out,  Jonathan, 
according  to  the  custom  of  his  age  and  country,  wished  to 
ascertain  whether  he  might  look  for  God's  blessing  on  his 
enterprise  against  these  enemies  of  the  Lord,  his  hatred  of  whom 
is  expressed  by  the  term  of  contempt  applied  to  them,  "  these 
uncircumcised."  Like  Abraham's  servant,  Eliezer  of  Damascus, 
when  sent  on  his  mission  to  Rebekah  (Gen.  xxiv.),  or  like  Gideon, 
wishing  to  be  certified  that  God  would  save  Israel  by  his  hand 
(Judg.  vi.),  Jonathan,  in  his  full  trust  in  Providence,  wished  for 
some  sign  to  determine  his  purpose.  This  was  not  done  in  blind 
superstition,  nor  was  it  an  irreligious  tempting  of  God.  It 
sprung  from  a  strong  persuasion  that  Israel  was  the  Lord's 
people,  and  that  endeavouring  to  fight  the  Lord's  battles  a 
devout  man  might  rightly  look  for  some  token  from  heaven  to 

«  Comp.  2  Chron.  xiv.  11.     i  Mace.  iii.  18  ;  iv.  30. 


134  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

guide  his  actions.  The  sign  which  he  chose  was  this  :  he  and 
his  companion  were  to  pass  over  to  the  Philistine  side  of  the 
valley,  and  when  discovered  were  to  observe  the  first  words 
spoken  to  them.  If  the  enemy  said,  "  Tarry  till  we  come  to 
you,"  they  were  to  give  up  the  enterprise  ;  but  if  they  were  in- 
vited to  come  on,  they  were  to  consider  this  as  a  token  that  their 
undertaking  would  be  successful,  and  that  the  Lord  had  delivered 
the  foe  into  their  hands.  So  like  a  gallant  knight  and  squire  of 
mediaeval  time,  Jonathan  and  his  armour-bearer  set  forth  on 
their  perilous  enterprise.  The  situation  has  already  been 
described.  Passing  down  the  long  slippery  ledges  of  the  cliff 
Seneh,  they  arrived  in  the  valley,  and  crossing  this  began  to 
make  towards  the  opposite  crag  Bozez.  And  now  the  sign  was 
to  be  tested.  It  was  well  chosen.  If  the  Philistines  bade  them 
wait  till  they  came,  it  would  show  that  they  were  cautious  and 
on  the  alert  and  might  not  be  attacked  with  impunity  ;  but  if 
they  asked  them  to  come  up  to  their  camp,  it  would  be  a  proof 
that  they  were  careless  and  despised  the  Hebrews  too  much 
to  take  any  precaution  against  surprise.  It  was  early  morning, 
and  the  Philistines  at  length  discovered  these  two  solitary 
figures  who  had  crossed  the  ravine  and  were  directing  their  way 
towards  the  outpost.  Probably  they  had  already  gotten  some 
distance  up  the  precipice,  which  is  some  sixty  feet  high,  before 
they  were  discovered.  "Ho,"  cried  the  Philistines,  "  Hebrews 
are  coming  forth  out  of  the  holes  where  they  had  hidden  them- 
selves." And  they  called  to  them,  "  Come  up  to  us  and  we  will 
shew  you  a  thing."  They  spoke  in  raillery,  deriding  the 
adventurous  approach  of  these  two  youths,  and  perhaps  thinking 
that  they  could  never  make  their  way  up  the  face  of  the 
ptecipice.  But  in  the  words  Jonathan  saw  the  sign  which  he 
desired.  "  Come  up  after  me,"  he  cried  with  exultation  to  his 
comrade  ;  "  for  the  Lord  hath  delivered  them  into  the  hand  of 
Israel.'  The  Philistines  might  easily  have  hurled  them  to  the 
bottom  by  rolling  stones  upon  them  from  above;  but  they  treated 
them  only  with  good-humoured  contempt  and  let  them  do  as  they 
liked.  So  the  two  rapidly  clambered  up  the  rock  on  hands  and 
feet,  and  suddenly  appeared  at  the  parapet  with  their  deadly 
bows  bent.  According  to  the  account  of  Josephus,^  as  soon  as 
he  received  the  answer  of  the  enemy  Jonathan  and  his  friend 

•  "  Antiq."  vi.  6.  3. 


BATTLE  OF  MICHMASH.  1 35 

crept  out  of  sight  and  got  round  to  the  side  of  the  rock  vvhicli 
was  left  unguarded.  Clambering  up  this,  they  entered  the  camp 
on  the  further  side,  and  surprised  the  Philistines  sleeping  in 
fancied  security.  However  this  may  be,  no  sooner  had  they 
surmounted  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent  than  they  commenced 
the  attack,  as  the  Septuagint  says,  with  darts  and  slings  and 
stones  of  the  field.  The  armour-bearer  ably  seconded  his 
master;  the  Philistines  surprised  at  the  suddenness  of  the  assault 
made  but  little  resistance,  and  in  a  few  minutes  twenty  corpses 
attested  the  vigour  of  the  attack  and  the  prowess  of  the  Israelites.' 
A  panic  seized  the  unbelievers  ;  they  could  not  believe  that  two 
men  would  dare  to  attack  the  garrison  ;  they  thought  that  those 
whom  they  saw  were  only  the  precursors  of  a  large  stormingparty, 
and  offering  no  further  resistance  they  fled  in  confusion  towards 
the  main  camp,  spreading  terror  as  they  ran.  The  panic  was 
even  communicated  to  the  parties  of  marauders  whom  they 
met  in  their  flight.  The  confusion  was  augmented  by  the  ad- 
mixture of  foreigners  in  the  Philistines'  army  ;  for  in  the  sudden 
supernatural  terror  that  seized  them  they  ceased  to  distinguish 
friend  from  foe,  and  fell  in  numbers  by  mutual  slaughter.^ 
The  watchmen  of  Saul  at  Geba  could  plainly  see  what  was  going 
on  at  Michmash,  and  in  that  clear  air  even  hear  the  cries  of  the 
combatants  across  the  valley.  With  the  utmost  surprise  they 
beheld  the  signs  of  combat  in  the  camps  of  the  enemy,  the  gleam 
of  arms,  the  rushing  of  excited  multitudes  hither  and  thither  ; 
and  they  hurried  to  tell  Saul  of  the  astonishing  occurrence.  At 
once  suspecting  that  some  of  his  own  warriors  were  concerned  in 
the  matter,  the  king  ordered  the  muster  roll  of  his  troops  to  be 
called,  and  the  absence  of  Jonathan  and  his  armour-bearer  was 

*  There  is  some  difficulty  in  explaining  the  last  clause  of  i  Sam.  xiv.  14. 
The  R.V.  gives  :  "  within  as  it  were  half  a  furrow's  length  in  an  acre  of  land 
(marg. :  half  an  acre  of  land). "  Ewald  interprets  thus  :  "  at  the  very  beginning 
he  thus  strikes  down  twenty  men  at  once,  'as  if  a  yoke  of  land  were  in 
course  of  being  ploughed,'  which  must  beware  of  offering  opposition  to  the 
sharp  ploughshare  in  the  middle  of  its  work."  Klosteimann  gives  :  "half 
in  the  camp  and  half  in  the  open  field."  One  might  have  expected  some 
measure  of  time  instead  of  space. 

»  "  And  the  earth  quaked  ;  so  there  was  an  exceeding  great  trembling  '• 
(ch.  xiv.  15).  This  has  been  taken  to  imply  that  there  was  an  earthquake 
at  this  moment ;  but  the  Hebrew  does  not  necessarily  denote  such  an  event  ; 
and  it  is  well  not  to  introduce  supernatural  interpositions  into  texts  which 
do  not  plainly  express  them. 


136  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL, 

quickly  discovered.  The  crisis  called  for  some  action  on  his 
part.  Having,  therefore,  Ahiah  at  Geba  with  the  sacred  gar- 
ment containing  the  Urim  and  Thummim/  Saul  desires  the 
High  Priest  to  ask  counsel  of  God.  Our  present  Hebrew  text 
makes  Saul  say  :  "  Bring  hither  the  ark  of  God  "  ;  adding  : 
"  for  the  ark  of  God  was  there  at  that  time  with  the  children  of 
Israel."  But  the  ark  was  last  heard  of  at  Kirjath-jearim  (ch. 
vii.  2),  where  it  was  found  in  David's  time,  nor  is  it  at  all  likely 
to  have  been  moved  in  these  troublous  days  to  Geba.  The 
term  rendered  "bring  hither  "  is  never  used  for  the  ark,  but  only 
for  the  ephod;-  nor  was  the  ark  ever  employed  in  any  way  to 
obtain  an  oracular  reply.  The  Greek  version  has  doubtless 
then  preserved  the  true  rendering  :  "  Bring  hither  the  ephod  ; 
for  he  bore  the  ephod  in  that  day  before  Israel."  While  Saul 
was  speaking  to  Ahiah,  the  uproar  in  the  enemies'  camp  in- 
creased tenfold,  and  it  was  evident  that  now  was  the  time  to 
strike  a  decisive  blow.  Saul  can  wait  no  longer  ;  his  instinct 
as  a  commander  told  him  that  delay  might  be  fatal.  This  was 
the  time  for  action,  not  for  prayer.  He  saw  what  was  to  be 
done  and  needed  no  Divine  counsel.  *'  Withdraw  thy  hand," 
he  cries  to  the  priest.  Impatient  at  one  moment  for  the  heavenly 
oracle,  he  is  at  the  next  too  impatient  to  wait  for  it.  As  in  all 
his  conduct,  he  set  too  little  store  by  Divine  guidance.  Had  he 
listened  to  the  word  of  God,  he  would  have  escaped  the  errors 
which  marred  the  completeness  of  his  victory.  Now  filled  with 
ardour  he  called  upon  his  men  to  follow  him,  and  they,  raising 
the  familiar  battle-cry,  put  themselves  under  his  guidance,  and 
hurried  down  the  hill  eagerly  to  the  battle.  There  was  but 
little  fighting  to  be  done.  When  they  arrived  upon  the  scene 
they  found  the  enemy  doing  their  work  for  them.  Every 
man's  sword  was  against  his  neighbour  ;  Philistines  and  their 
alien  confederates  were  involved  in  inextricable  confusion, 
fighting  one  with  the  other  ;  and  the  Israelites  coming  fresh  in 
the  field  with  their  compact,  well-trained  little  troop,  had 
merely  to  slay  and  to  glut  their  vengeance  on  their  once  scornful 
foes.  Aid,  too,  appeared  from  unexpected  quarters.  Probably 
some  of  the  auxiliaries  who  were  serving  unwillingly  took  this 
opportunity  of  turning  their  arms  against  their  employers  ;  and 
it  is  certain  that  the  Hebrews,  who  had  been  taken  from  con- 

*  I  Sam.  xiv.  18.  »  Conip.  i  Sam.  xxiii.  9  ,  xxx.  7. 


BATTLE  OF  MICHMASH.  I37 

quered  districts  and  compelled  to  act  as  servants  and  camp- 
followers  for  the  Philistines,  openly  sided  with  their  countrymen, 
and  seizing  the  first  weapons  that  came  to  hand,  added  greatly 
to  the  confusion  and  the  slaughter.  The  flight  became  general. 
Tidings  of  the  event  flew  quickly  around.  The  villagers  who 
had  deserted  their  homes  on  the  approach  of  the  Philistines  and 
betaken  themselves  for  refuge  to  the  caves  and  hills  of  that 
wild  country,  came  forth  from  their  hiding-places  and  fastnesses, 
and  joined  in  the  pursuit.  In  headlong  course  the  heathen  fled 
down  the  valley  past  Bethaven,  the  bleak  desert  on  the  east  of 
Bethel ;  they  made  no  stand  there,  but  turned  westward  first  to 
Upper  Bethhoron,  then  down  the  steep  descent  to  Lower  Beth- 
horon,  in  order  to  gain  their  own  country  by  the  valley  of  Aijalon. 
This  is  a  broad  and  beautiful  valley  running  west -by-north 
through  the  tract  of  hills  and  then  bending  south-west  through 
the  great  western  plain,  Aijalon  itself,  now  represented  by  the 
village  of  Yalo,  stands  on  the  side  of  a  long  hill  which  skirts 
the  valley  on  the  south.  By  this  wady,  the  remnant  of  the 
Philistines,  utterly  broken  in  spirit,  wounded,  and  wearied  with 
a  flight  over  some  twenty  miles  of  rugged  ground,  reached  their 
own  territories  with  the  loss  of  arms  and  treasure  and  equip- 
ments. Thus  as  the  Lord  delivered  Israel  at  the  Red  Sea,  so 
He  this  day  saved  them  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  and 
gave  them  a  great  victory,  sixty  thousand  of  the  Philistines 
having  perished.^  But  circumstances  had  occurred  to  make 
the  victory  less  complete  than  it  might  have  been.  The  troops 
of  the  Israehties  had  increased  by  the  influx  of  the  country- 
people  and  of  the  Hebrews  in  the  Philistine  camp  to  ten 
thousand  men  ;  and  Saul,  wishing  to  take  advantage  of  this 
powerful  force,  and  desiring  that  nothing  might  hinder  the 
pursuit,  had  foohshly  made  the  people  swear  to  eat  no  food 
until  the  evening.  So  intent  was  he  upon  the  one  object  of 
avenging  the  long  insults  offered  to  him  and  his  royal  power, 
that  he  forgot  humanity  to  his  soldiers  and  the  limits  of  human 
endurance,  and  made  them  agree  to  devote  to  death  any  one 
who  as  long  as  daylight  lasted  should  cease  from  the  work  of 
slaughter  in  order  to  take  rest  or  refreshment.  The  conse- 
quences of  this  inconsiderate  vow  showed  themselves  in  the 
faintness  and  lassitude  of  his  followers,  who  from  sheer  exhaus- 

*  Josephus,  "  Antiq."  vi.  6.  6. 


138  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

lion  were  unable  to  continue  the  pursuit  with  the  necessary 
persistence.  Their  course  led  them  through  a  wood  where 
honey  lay  in  abundance  on  the  ground  ;  for  the  wild  bees  build 
their  nests  in  rocks  and  hollow  trees,  and  oftentimes  the  combs 
bursting  with  the  weight  or  liquefying  under  the  influence  of 
the  heat  let  the  honey  ooze  out  and  fall  to  the  earth.  Canaan, 
we  know,  was  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  and  travellers 
tell  of  the  vast  quantity  of  bees  found  therein  to  this  day.'  The 
Jews  were  naturally  very  fond  of  honey,  and  used  it  largely  for 
food  ;  but  on  this  occasion  no  man  dared  taste  any  for  fear  of 
the  oath  which  they  had  taken.  Jonathan,  however,  had  not 
been  present  when  his  father  had  exacted  the  vow,  and  had 
heard  nothing  about  it ;  so  when  he  came  to  this  wood  and  saw 
means  of  refreshment  at  his  very  feet,  he  picked  up  a  piece  of 
honeycomb  with  the  point  of  the  staff  which  he  carried  and 
conveyed  it  to  his  mouth.  The  effect  even  of  this  slight  nourish- 
ment on  his  exhausted  frame  was  notable.  The  dimness  of  sight 
caused  by  extreme  fatigue  and  hunger  passed  away  ;  "  his  eyes 
were  enlightened,"  and  he  was  able  to  continue  the  pursuit  with 
renewed  vigour.  One  of  his  comrades,  seeing  what  he  had 
done,  and  shocked  at  what  he  thought  to  be  an  infringement  of 
a  grave  obligation,  repeated  to  him  the  oath  which  Saul  had 
made  the  soldiers  take,  adding,  what  was  indeed  the  fact,  that 
for  want  of  food  the  people  were  faint  and  worn  out.  Jonathan 
inveighed  strongly  and  perhaps  somewhat  disrespectfully  against 
the  impolitic  measure,  which  had  rendered  the  splendid  victory 
incomplete.  *'  My  father,"  he  says  in  high  displeasure,  "hath 
troubled  the  land  :  see,  I  pray  you,  how  mine  eyes  have  been 
enlightened,  because  I  tasted  a  little  of  this  honey.  How  much 
more,  if  haply  the  people  had  eaten  freely  to-day  of  the  spoil 
of  their  enemies  which  they  found.  For  had  there  not  been  now 
I  much  greater  slaughter  among  the  Philistines  .'* " 

The  pursuit  had  now  continued  the  whole  day,  passing  from 
( ity  to  city,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  had  reached  the  valley  of 
Aijalon  many  miles  from  Michmash.  Latterly  indeed  the 
weariness  of  the  troops  had  prevented  them  from  overtaking  the 
flying  Philistines,  but  the  latter  had  cast  away  everything  that 
could  impede  their  flight,  and  had  left  behind  them  stores  of 
provisions  and  cattle.     And  as  the  sun  sunk  in  the  west  and  the 

«  ThusTristnm,    '  X.itiiral  ni-,t..i\  ..f  tl,.>  P.ihl.\' 


BATTLE  OF  MICH  MASH.  1 39 

continuance  of  the  vow  was  no  longer  of  obligation,  the  people, 
faint  with  hunger,  flew  greedily  upon  the  spoil,  the  sheep  and 
oxen  and  calves,  and  without  attending  to  the  requirements  of 
the  Law,  ravenously  satisfied  their  appetites  with  animal  food 
not  duly  prepared.  The  blood  being  regarded  as  the  life  and 
mysteriously  connected  with  atonement,  the  Law  gave  very 
strict  directions  concerning  the  slaughtering  of  animals  for  food. 
Every  such  animal  was  regarded  as  a  kind  of  Peace-offering,  and 
the  taking  its  life  was  a  solemn  sacrificial  act.  It  was  to  be 
slain  as  expeditiously  as  possible  by  cutting  the  throat  with  a 
sharp  knife  without  tearing  the  flesh  ;  the  blood  was  by  no  means 
to  be  eaten,  but  to  be  let  flow  on  the  ground  and  then  covered 
with  earth,'  In  their  ravenous  hunger  the  people  sinned  in 
more  ways  than  one.  They  did  not  wait  for  the  carcase  to  be 
entirely  drained  of  blood  before  eating  it ;  and  they  let  the 
slaughtered  animal  lie  in  its  blood  on  the  ground,  and  used  the 
flesh  thus  soaked  in  blood.  Whereas  the  Law  said  :  "  Whoso- 
ever it  be  that  eateth  any  blood,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off"  from 
his  people."  Some  have  thought  that  they  did  not  wait  even  to 
cook  the  meat,  but  ate  it  raw.  At  any  rate  they  violated  an- 
other very  remarkable  enactment,  intended  to  foster  tenderness 
of  feeling  and  to  teach  the  sacredness  of  the  relation  of  parent 
and  offspring.  In  contradiction  of  the  rule  which  forbade  the 
dam  and  her  young  one  to  be  killed  on  the  same  day  (Lev.  xxii. 
28),  they  slaughtered  the  calves  with  the  cows  in  their  pitiless 
voracity.  These  infringements  of  the  Law  could  not  pass  un- 
noticed. Some  of  the  Levites  who  had  accompanied  the 
expedition  came  and  told  Saul  what  was  being  done,  and  he, 
though  he  had  himself  occasioned  the  transgression  by  the  pro- 
hibition which  he  had  issued,  is  quick  to  acknowledge  the 
people's  sin  ;  and  though  himself  ready  to  reject  the  counsel  of 
God's  ministers,  he  is  at  the  same  time  determined  that  the 
letter  of  the  Law  should  be  obeyed.  "  Ye  have  dealt  treacher- 
ously," he  cries ;  "  ye  have  not  kept  the  covenant  between 
yourselves  and  Jehovah."  And  he  ordered  a  great  stone  to  be 
brought  to  him,  and  setting  it  firmly  in  its  place,  he  bade  all  the 
people  to  bring  their  beasts  there  and  kill  them  upon  it,  that  the 
blood  might  be  properly  drained  away  from  the  carcasses  and 
that  this  important  law  might  not  again  be  violated.     With  the 

«  Lev.  iii,  17 ;  vii,  26  ;  xvii.  10  ff.     Deut.  xii.  16,  23. 


I40  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

same  unquestioning  obedience  which  they  had  always  showed 
the  soldiers  submitted  to  this  new  command,  and  it  was  far  in  the 
night  ere  the  slaughter  ceased  and  their  appetites  were  satisfied. 
While  this  was  going  on,  Saul  built  an  altar  as  a  thank-offering 
to  God  for  his  victory,  and  had  sacrifices  offered  thereon.  This 
was  the  first  public  acknowledgment  made  by  him  of  his  ob- 
ligations to  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel.  Other  victories  he 
had  won,  but  he  had  not  thought  of  attributing  his  success  to 
heavenly  powers.  In  his  gratitude  for  the  present  unexpected 
blessing  he  commences  that  practice,  which  monarchs  followed 
in  after  time,  of  raising  altars  to  Jehovah  in  memory  of  great 
national  successes.' 

And  now  to  make  the  most  of  his  victory  he  proposes  to  com- 
plete the  work  by  attacking  the  conquered  enemy  at  once  on 
this  very  night.  He  was  conscious  that  his  own  inconsiderate 
vow  had  greatly  mterfered  with  the  execution  of  his  purpose, 
and  he  now  wished  to  repair  his  error  by  making  a  new  and 
unexpected  onslaught.  The  people  refreshed  by  their  rough 
repast,  and  ready  to  follow  wherever  he  should  lead  them, 
willingly  agreed  to  the  proposal.  They  rose  from  the  ground 
whereon  they  lay  around  the  glowing  camp  fires,  took  up  their 
weapons,  and  prepared  to  resume  the  weary  march.  But  the 
High  Priest  interposed.  He  was  not  carried  away  by  the  king's 
unreflecting  impetuosity,  and  with  the  courage  that  comes  from 
the  consciousness  of  a  righteous  cause,  he  urges  him  not  to 
take  a  new  enterprise  in  hand  without  first  ascertaining  God's 
pleasure.  "  Let  us  draw  near  hither,"  he  says,  "  unto  the  altar 
just  built  and  ask  the  Lord's  will."  Saul  could  not  deny  the 
reasonableness  of  this  proposal,  and  proceeded,  through  the 
priest's  means  by  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  to  propound  two 
questions  :  Shall  I  go  down  after  the  Philistines  ?  and,  Wilt 
Thou  deliver  them  into  the  hand  of  Israel  ?  No  answer  was 
given  ;  the  oracle  was  dumb  ;  Ahiah  was  not  directed  by  any 
Divine  impulse  to  resolve  the  king's  doubt.    Then  he  explained 

*  See  2  Sam.  xxiv.  25.  The  literal  translation  of  the  passage  on  which 
our  account  is  formed  (i  Sam.  xiv.  35)  is  :  "  the  same  he  began  to  build  as 
an  altar  unto  Jehovah."  From  this  some  have  thought  that  Saul  began  to 
build  with  characteristic  impetuosity,  and  left  off  before  the  erection  was 
completed.  But  the  Sept.  and  Vulg.  confirm  the  rendering  of  the  Authorized 
and  Revised  Versions,  which  is  also  quite  in  accordance  with  the  idiom  of 
the  Hebrew  language. 


BATTLE  OF  MICHMASH.  I4I 

to  Saul  that  the  failure  to  obtain  a  reply  was  occasioned  by  some 
offence  committed  in  the  army  and  as  yet  unatoned.  God's 
name  had^een  invoked  in  the  oath  which  Saul  had  made  the 
army  take,  and  therefore  its  observation  became  a  matter  of 
religious  obligation.  The  violation  of  this  vow  involved  Israel 
in  guilt,  and  until  this  was  expiated,  God  regarded  not  theirappli- 
cation.  Where  the  guilt  lay,  was  another  question,  whether  on 
him  who  unwittingly  transgressed,  or  on  him  who  without 
authority  from  God  issued  the  command  which  led  to  the  trans- 
gression. Atonement  had  to  be  made  for  the  profanation  of 
the  Divine  name,  and  this  duty  was  pointed  out  by  the  inability 
of  the  High  Priest  to  obtain  the  required  answer.  Incensed  at 
this  untimely  delay,  the  king  summoned  around  him  the  officers 
and  leaders,  "the  corner  stones"  ^  of  Israel,  and  bade  them 
help  him  to  discover  where  the  transgression  lay  ;  "  for,"  he  cries 
with  a  profane  oath,  "  as  the  Lord  liveth,  who  saveth  Israel, 
though  it  be  in  Jonathan  my  son,  he  shall  surely  die."  He  spoke 
thus  not  as  having  any  idea  that  Jonathan  was  the  guilty  person, 
but  desiring  to  impress  upon  his  hearers  that  no  favour  should 
be  shown,  but  that  the  offender,  be  he  who  he  may,  should  pay 
the  penalty  of  death.  Thus  without  inquiring  what  the  crime 
was,  with  no  premeditation,  a  second  time  in  this  one  day  he 
takes  a  rash  oath,  and  despotically  dooms  to  death  an  unknown 
and  unconvicted  criminal.  Horror-stricken,  and  cowed  by  the 
king's  violence,  the  people  answered  him  never  a  word,  though 
many  of  them  knew  at  whom  his  menace  pointed.  God  had 
refused  to  answer  his  former  question,  so  Saul  determined  to 
discover  the  culprit  by  casting  lots.  The  fault  must  be  either  in 
himself  and  his  son,  or  in  some  soldier  of  the  army.  Satisfied 
of  his  own  and  Jonathan's  innocence,  he  made  the  people  stand 
on  one  side,  while  he  and  his  son  took  up  a  position  on  the  other. 
When  their  freedom  from  guilt  was  established  he  would  be  free 
to  make  an  example  of  the  offender.  Then  he  prayed  to  the 
Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  and  said  :  "  Shew  the  right."  '    This 

'  So  called  in  the  Hebrew,  i  Sam.  xiv.  38. 

'  The  Authorized  Version  has  :  "  Give  a  perfect  lof,"  supplying  the  word 
"lot  "  which  is  not  in  the  Hebrew.  The  expression  is  really  equivalent  to 
"  Shew  the  truth."  The  LXX.,  with  whom  the  Vulgate  partly  agrees,  have 
a  long  paraphrase  here :  "  And  Saul  said,  O  Lord  God  of  Israel,  Why  is  it 
that  thou  didst  not  answer  Thy  servant  to-day?  Is  the  iniquity  in  me  or  in 
Jonathanmy  son?   O  Lord  God  of  Israel,give  light  (Urim) :  andif  he  shall 


142  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

was  not  by  the  means  of  Urim  and  Thummim,  through  which  no 
answer  was  now  to  be  obtained,  but  by  lot.  The  lot  was  cast ; 
Saul  and  his  son  were  designated,  but  the  people  escaped.  One 
more  trial  was  made,  and  Jonathan  at  length  was  pointed  out  as 
the  offender.  Sternly  does  Saul  inquire  what  sin  he  has  com- 
mitted that  God  has  turned  His  face  away.  Jonathan,  who 
meantime  had  learned  the  connection  between  his  breach  of  the 
vow  and  the  silence  of  the  Divine  oracle,  confesses  what  he  has 
done.  "  I  did  certainly  taste  a  little  honey  with  the  end  of  the 
rod  that  was  in  mine  hand  ;  and  lo,  I  must  die."  The  Syriac 
puts  the  last  words  in  an  interrogative  form  :  "  must  I  die  for 
this?"  as  though  Jonathan  complained  of  his  hard  fate.  But 
the  phrase  really  implies  resignation  to  his  lot.  Though  his 
fault  was  originally  one  of  ignorance,  he  never  dreams  of  escaping 
the  penalty.  He  is  quite  convinced  that  his  father's  vow,  how- 
ever rash  and  disastrous,  must  be  kept.  Josephus,  who  always 
tries  to  exalt  his  heroes  in  the  eyes  of  his  Roman  friends,  puts  a 
speech  into  Jonathan's  mouth  which  expresses  entire  resignation : 
"  I  ask  thee  not  to  spare  me,  O  my  father.  Sweet  it  is  to  me  to 
suffer  death  to  satisfy  thy  oath  and  after  so  glorious  a  victory. 
For  it  is  my  greatest  comfort  to  know  that  I  leave  the  Hebrews 
conquerors  of  the  Philistines."  '  Saul  gives  him  no  hope  of 
escape.  However  grieved  at  the  consequences  of  his  hasty  vow, 
and  however  bitterly  he  must  have  felt  the  loss  of  such  a  son, 
Saul  is  influenced  more  by  formalism  and  pride,  than  by  piety 
and  natural  affection,  and  adheres  immoveably  to  his  decision. 
Though  Jonathan's  error,  being  committed  in  ignorance,  might 
have  been  sufficiently  expiated  by  a  trespass  offering,  Saul,  like 
Jephthah,  considered  himself  irretrievably  bound  by  his  vow. 
"God  do  so  and  more  also," he  says  austerely  ;  "  for  thou  shalt 
surely  die,  Jonathan."    But  it  was  not  so  to  be;  that  young  and 

say  this,  give  to  Thy  people  Israel,  give  hoHness  (?  Thummim) ;  and 
Jonatlian  is  chosen,  and  Saul  and  the  people  went  forth.  And  Saul  said, 
Cast  lots  between  me  and  Jonathan  my  son  ;  whomsoever  the  Lord  shall 
choose,  let  him  die.  And  the  people  said  to  Saul,  This  is  not  thy  word. 
And  Saul  prevailed  over  the  people,  and  they  cast  lots  between  him  and 
Jonathan  his  son,  and  Jonathan  is  chosen."  For  the  obscure  clause  in  the 
above  version  Wellhausen  and  others  read  :  "if  the  iniquity  be  in  me  or 
in  Jonathan  my  son,  O  Lord  God  of  Israel,  give  Urim  ;  and  if  it  be  in  Thy 
people  Israel,  give,  I  pray  Thee,  Thummim." 
*  "  Antiq."  vi.  6.  5. 


BATTLE  OF  MICHMASH.  I43 

glorious  life  was  not  to  be  thus  prematurely  cut  off.  God  had 
other  work  for  him  to  do,  before  the  sad  end  came.  The  people 
hitherto  had  acquiesced  with  sullen  silence  in  Saul's  despotic  pro- 
ceedings ;  but  their  complaisance  had  its  limits  ;  they  could  not 
unmoved  permit  this  last  outrage.  As  one  man  they  raised  an 
indignant  protest  against  the  threatened  doom  of  their  idolized 
hero.  What,  should  he  who  had  wrought  this  great  salvation  in 
Israel  be  mercilessly  put  to  death  ?  Far  be  it  !  The  Lord  had 
shown  that  He  had  inspired  and  aided  Jonathan  in  his  heroic 
deed,  and  should  they  condemn  one  whom  He  had  approved  ? 
"  As  the  Lord  liveth,"  they  firmly  exclaim,  '•  there  shall  not  one 
hair  of  his  head  fall  to  the  ground  ;  for  he  hath  wrought  with 
God  this  day."  Saul,  not  unwillingly  perhaps,  was  constrained 
to  forego  his  purpose,  and  Jonathan  was  saved  from  the  penal 
consequences  of  his  error.  The  king  recognized  that  the  fault 
was  really  his  own  ;  he  acquiesced  in  Ahiah's  counsel,  and  dis- 
continued his  pursuit  of  the  Philistines,  returning  to  his  head- 
quarters at  Gibeah,  and  leaving  the  enemy  discomfited  indeed, 
and  for  the  time  disheartened,  but  by  no  means  broken  or  anni- 
hilated. Thus  did  self-will  and  impatience  mar  the  complete- 
ness of  a  great  triumph. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SAUL'S   FINAL  REJECTION. 

The  family  of  Saul — He  gathers  a  chosen  band  of  warriors — His  successful 
wars — The  Amalekites — Saul  ordered  to  destroy  them  utterly-^A  trial 
of  obedience— The  Ban— Great  destruction  of  the  Amalekites — Saul 
spares  Agag  and  the  best  of  the  spoil — Samuel  warned  of  Saul's  dis- 
obedience ;  taxes  him  with  his  sin  ;  pronounces  his  final  rejection — Slays 
Agag— Abandons  Saul  finally. 

We  may  here  fitly  introduce  a  few  words  concerning  Saul's 
family.  He  was,  as  we  have  seen,  the  son  of  Kish.  The  father 
of  Kish,  Abiel,  had  also  another  son  named  Ner,  who  was  the 
father  of  the  masterly  general  and  high-principled  man,  Abner, 
Thus  this  latter  was  Saul's  first  cousin,  and  it  was  doubtless 
owing  to  his  energy  and  military  skill  that  the  many  wars  of  this 
reign  were  conducted  with  such  great  success.  Saul  was  not  so 
uxorious  as  David,  and  he  appears  to  have  had  only  one  wife 
and  one  concubine.  His  wife's  name  was  Ahinoam,  the  daughter 
of  one  Ahimaaz.  David  had  a  wife  of  the  same  name,  who 
is  distinguished  as  "the  Jezreelitess."  *  The  word  means 
"brother  of  grace,"  and  from  the  predilection  for  names  be- 
ginning with  Ah  shown  by  Eli's  family,  it  has  been  argued  that 
she  was  of  that  lineage.  But  the  question  cannot  be  decided, 
and  is  indeed  of  no  importance.  The  concubine  was  Rizpah, 
the  daughter  of  Aiah,  famous  afterwards  for  her  devoted  love 
to  her  unfortunate  children  doomed  to  death  for  their  father's 
fault  (2  Sam.  xxi.  8  ff.).  The  sons  of  Saul  by  Ahinoam  whose 
names  have  reached  us  were  four  in  number,  viz.,  Jonathan, 

*  z  Sam.  XXV.  43. 


SAUL'S   FINAL  REJECTION.  I45 

Ishui  or  Abinadab,*  and  Melchishua,  all  three  of  whom  perished 
with  their  father  in  the  battle  of  Gilboa,  and  a  fourth  who  sur- 
vived him,  Ethbaal  or  Ishbosheth.^  The  daughters  were 
Merab  and  Michal,  who  are  heard  of  again  in  connection  with 
David. 

The  reign  of  Saul  was  wholly  occupied  with  wars.  As  soon 
as  the  defeat  of  the  Philistines  and  their  retreat  to  their  own 
territories  left  him  king  of  his  own  dominions,  and  the  people 
emerging  from  their  hiding-places  flocked  around  him  or 
reoccupied  their  abandoned  homes,  he  at  once  began  to  estab- 
lish a  regular  army,  and  to  turn  all  his  attention  to  the  safety 
and  consolidation  of  his  government.  In  those  days  when  per- 
sonal courage  and  dexterity  in  the  use  of  arms  were  the  chief 
elements  of  success  in  military  engagements,  and  tactics  and 
strategy  were  of  the  most  elementary  character,  it  became  of 
supreme  importance  to  have  around  the  king  a  body  of  practical 
warriors  whom  he  could  trust  to  carry  out  his  plans  with  energy 
and  skill.  For  such  men  Saul  was  always  seeking  ;  and  when- 
ever he  met  with  any  one  of  merit,  either  from  bodily  superiority 
or  approved  valour,  or  unusual  adroitness  with  spear  and  bow, 
he  enrolled  him  in  his  service.  By  this  means  he  gathered  the 
nucleus  of  a  strong  army,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  that  military 
power  which  enabled  Israel  not  only  to  hold  her  own,  but  in 
later  days,  like  one  of  the  great  Eastern  empires,  to  extend  her 
conquests  far  beyond  her  own  borders. 

The  position  of  Saul  at  this  time  was  one  of  considerable 
difficulty.  Enemies  were  on  every  side.  Feeling  that  the  new 
monarch  was  an  able  general,  and  likely,  if  unchecked,  to  make 
his  people  into  a  powerful  nation,  the  neighbouring  tribes  at- 
tacked him,  and  used  their  utmost  endeavours  to  overthrow  or 
weaken  his  government.  By  the  late  victory  the  Philistines 
were  only  checked  and  dispirited  for  a  time.  Their  strength 
was  still  very  formidable,  and  they  were  only  one  out  of  nume- 

*  Ishui  is  not  mentioned  elsewhere  among  the  sons  of  Saul.  His  place 
is  occupied  by  Abinadab  in  i  Sam.  xxxi.  2,  and  i  Chron.  viii.  33  ;  ix.  39 ; 
and  doubtless  the  two  names  belong  to  the  same  person. 

*  The  compound  with  Baal  was  altered  into  besheth  or  bosheth,  "  shame- 
ful," which  rather  concealed  the  allusion,  or  cast  discredit  upon  it.  Thus 
Jonathan's  son  Meribbaal  (i  Chron.  viii.  34)  is  called  Mephibosheth,  and 
Jerubbaal  becomes  Jerubbeslieth  in  2  Sam.  xi.  21.  Compare  the  names 
Beelzeboul  and  Beelzebub. 

II 


146  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

rous  foes  against  whom  he  had  to  contend.  That  "  wherever 
he  turned  he  conquered  "  was  owing  to  his  prudence  and  energy 
and  skill.  The  narrator  has  given  no  details  of  many  of  those 
wars  which  occupied  his  whole  public  life.  From  the  brief 
summary  which  he  does  afford,  we  see  that  Saul  was  engaged 
with  all  the  countries  that  bordered  the  Holy  Land.  The 
Moabites  and  Ammonites  vexed  him  on  the  east ;  the 
Edomites,  always  the  implacable  enemies  of  Israel,  on  the 
south  ;  in  that  quarter,  too,  the  Amalekites  were  found,  the  war 
with  whom  is  recorded  in  fuller  detail  for  the  grave  conse- 
quences involved  therein.  The  west  now  as  ever  was 
threatened  and  harassed  by  the  Philistines  ;  and  at  the  north- 
east the  kings  of  Zobah,  a  country  extending  from  Damascus 
towards  the  Euphrates,  endeavoured  to  push  their  conquests 
into  the  northern  parts  of  Palestine.  All  these  opponents  were 
successfully  resisted  ;  the  freedom  once  gained  was  never  lost  ; 
Israel  crouched  no  more  beneath  a  heathen  yoke,  and,  secure 
in  its  allotted  territories,  had  time  and  opportunity  for  internal 
development  under  Samuel  and  the  schools  of  the  prophets. 

The  historian  turns  ftom  this  prosperous  time  to  a  darker 
scene ;  he  leaves  the  detailed  account  of  wars  and  battles  to 
secular  writers,  and  concerns  himself  with  incidents  which 
reveal  character  and  have  a  moral  importance.  So  consigning 
to  oblivion  Saul's  heroic  feats  of  arms  and  the  great  doings  of 
his  mighty  men,  he  narrates  at  some  length  only  the  wars  with 
Amalek  and  the  Philistines.  The  former  led  to  the  final  rejec- 
tion of  the  king  and  the  irremediable  rupture  between  him  and 
Samuel ;  it  is  therefore  of  great  and  melancholy  importance. 

The  Amalekites  occupied  the  Negeb,  or  country  south  of 
Palestine,  roaming  through  the  wilderness  of  Sinai  and  pas- 
turing their  flocks  and  herds  in  the  green  wadys  of  the  Penin- 
sula. We  hear  of  them  disputing  with  the  Israelites  the 
entrance  into  this  region  immediately  after  the  Exodus,  and 
being  defeated  with  great  slaughter.'  For  this  conduct  they 
had  been  threatened  by  God  with  extermination.  When  the 
battle  was  ended,  we  are  told,=  Moses  built  an  altar  to  com- 
memorate the  victory,  and  called  its  name  Jehovah-nissi,  "The 
Lord  is  my  banner";  adding,  "The  Lord  hath  sworn,   the 

*  See  Prof.  Rawlinson,  "  Moses  :  his  Life  and  Times,"  pp.  136  If. 
=  Exod.  xvii.  15  f.  ;  Deut.  xxv.  19. 


SAUL'S   FINAL  REJECTION.  I47 

Lord  will  liave  war  with  Amalek  from  generation  to  generation." 
And  it  had  been  expressly  ordered  that,  when  the  Israelites 
were  securely  established  in  the  Promised  Land,  they  should 
not  forget  to  "blot  out  the  remembrance  of  Amalek  from  under 
heaven."  The  time  for  exacting  this  long  delayed  vengeance 
was  now  come.  They  deserved  their  chastisement.  They 
were  a  fierce  nomad  race,  continually  making  inroads  on  their 
neighbours  ;  and  lately,  seeing  the  Israelites  fully  engaged  in 
war  with  the  Philistines,  they  had,  under  the  leadership  of  their 
relentless  king,  who  appears  under  the  generic  name  of  Agag, 
made  destructive  and  sanguinary  raids  on  the  southern  districts 
of  Canaan.  A  considerable  time  had  elapsed  since  the  events 
narrated  in  the  last  chapter,  and  Saul's  resources  had  so  largely 
increased,  and  his  military  power  was  so  firmly  established, 
that  he  was  c^uite  capable  of  executing  a  perilous  enterprise,  and 
carrying  it  to  a  prosperous  issue.  Now  he  is  ordered  to  smite 
Amalek  with  utter  destruction.  Will  he  do  the  Lord's  bidding  ? 
He  had  failed  once  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  reign,  and  had 
been  punished  by  the  exclusion  of  his  posterity  from  the  throne. 
A  second  trial  is  now  vouchsafed.  His  character  has  developed 
itself,  he  has  had  experience  of  God's  directing  hand,  he  knows 
his  own  power  and  weakness  ;  will  he  now  unhesitatingly  and 
thoroughly  obey  the  Divine  command,  and  prove  his  fitness  to 
be  a  theocratic  king  ?  Samuel  comes  to  him,  and  prefacing  his 
message  by  reminding  Saul  that  he  was  not  self-appointed,  but 
had  been  anointed  by  Jehovah  to  be  the  king  of  the  Lord's  people, 
and  had  therefore  special  duties  towards  Him  and  towards  them, 
he  bids  him  give  good  heed  to  the  order  which  he  was  commis- 
sioned to  announce.  The  precept  was  conceived  in  these  un- 
compromising terms  :  "  Now  go  and  smite  Amalek,  and  utterly 
destroy  all  that  they  have,  and  spare  them  not  ;  but  slay  both 
man  and  woman,  infant  and  suckling,  ox  and  sheep,  camel  and 
ass."  The  word  translated  "  utterly  destroy  "  is  that  expression 
of  terrible  import  which  means  "  to  put  under  the  ban,"  "  to 
devote  to  God  or  destruction."  It  is  used  continually  in  the 
Book  of  Joshua  to  denote  his  treatment  of  the  heathen  cities 
which  he  conquered.  Any  thing  thus  devoted  might  not  be 
redeemed  ;  it  must  be  destroyed  ;  and  when  a  country  was  thus 
denounced,  it  was  regarded  as  accursed,  no  spoil  could  be  taken 
save  of  the  precious  metals,  all  living  creatures  were  to  be  slain, 
all  other  things  were  to  be  burned.     It  was  an  awful  sentence. 


148  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

If  modern  humanity  revolts  from  such  wholesale  slaughter  and 
devastation,  the  people  of  that  age  regarded  it  in  quite  a  dif- 
ferent light,  and  needed  this  formidable  lesson.  The  Amale- 
kites  themselves  were  hopelessly  and  utterly  corrupt ;  their 
prolonged  existence  as  a  nation  would  only  have  worked  further 
mischief ;  they  deserved  demolition.  And  the  Israelites  were 
God's  instruments  in  inflicting  chastisement.  Like  the  pesti- 
lence or  the  famine  or  the  storm,  they  did  God's  bidding.  In 
executing  His  mandate  they  had  to  lay  aside  all  tenderness  and 
pity,  and  regarding  themselves  as  the  executors  of  the  Divine 
sentence,  they  imbrued  their  hands  in  blood  without  repugnance 
or  remorse.  The  age,  too,  was  not  as  careful  of  human  life  as 
men  are  novv-a-days  ;  people  then  were  not  scrupulous  about 
shedding  their  own  or  other's  blood  in  a  proper  cause  ;  and 
when  the  command  came  from  the  invisible  King  of  Israel, 
there  was  no  squeamishness  felt  in  executing  it,  even  in  its  most 
cruel  and  sanguinary  details.  Thus  were  they  taught  God's  hatred 
of  sin.  In  a  moral  government  enforced  by  temporal  rewards  and 
punishments  such  severe  lessons  that  all  could  observe  were 
needed  ;  and  more  especially  would  such  be  felt,  when  the 
people  themselves  who  were  to  profit  by  them  were  made  with 
their  own  hands  to  inflict  the  ordained  vengeance.  Nor  was 
this  general  destruction  of  a  tribe  or  a  nation  an  atrocity  un- 
heard of  :  it  was  common  enough ;  the  mind  was  accustomed  to 
the  notion,  and  felt  no  special  repugnance  to  the  proceeding. 
As  an  earthly  king  in  ordering  such  a  measure  would  be  acting* 
only  in  the  usual  way,  so  Israel's  King  when  He  enjoined  the 
annihilation  of  the  Amalekites  was  only  vindicating  His  righ- 
teousness as  it  behoved  Him  to  do.  The  age  was  rough,  and  re- 
quired a  rough  lesson,  accommodated  to  its  existing  moral 
state.  More  delicate  measures  would  have  failed  in  producing 
the  intended  effect.  Saul  was  not  loath  to  obey  the  Divine 
behest  thus  conveyed  to  him.  He  had  long  been  harassed  by 
these  roving  pillagers  ;  he  was  not  unacquainted  with  the  male- 
diction pronounced  upon  them  in  the  days  of  his  forefathers, 
and  he  was  glad  to  take  an  opportunity  of  checking  once  and 
for  ever  their  further  advances.  It  was,  however,  no  easy 
matter  to  destroy  a  nomad  people  who  would  be  little  likely  to 
offer  a  chance  of  a  pitched  battle,  and  whose  movements  were 
more  rapid  and  unexpected  than  those  of  regular  armies.  Saul 
made  large  preparations  for  the  expedition.     He  summoned  all 


SAUL'S   FINAL  REJECTION.  149 

his  forces  to  meet  at  Telaim,  a  place  called  Telein  in  Josh.  xv. 
24,  situated  on  the  south-eastern  border  of  Judah  and  possibly 
identified  with  Dhullam,  the  headquarters  of  the  Dhullaim 
Arabs.'  The  numbers  that  responded  to  his  call  were  ten 
thousand  men  of  Judah,  which  was  the  tribe  chiefly  threatened 
by  the  marauders,  and  two  hundred  thousand  from  the  rest  of 
Israel.  The  separate  mustering  of  the  two  bodies  repeats  the 
hint  of  the  jealousy  between  the  northern  and  southern  tribes 
of  which  we  have  had  previous  intimation.  The  army,  great 
even  in  modern  estimation,  was  none  too  large  for  the  work 
which  it  had  to  perform.  The  Amalekites  were  not  builders  of 
towns  ;  it  was  rare  for  them  to  have  any  settled  abode,  and  their 
architecture  never  rose  above  fortifying  a  camp  with  a  circular 
wall.  Remains  of  this  nature  are  still  found  in  the  districts 
where  they  are  known  to  have  lived.^  Saul,  we  are  told,  came 
in  the  course  of  his  march  to  the  city  of  Amalek,  perhaps 
named  Ir-Amalek,  as  we  have  Ar-Moab,  Ir-Shemesh,  Ir- 
Nahash.3  Here  he  laid  an  ambush  in  a  dry  wady,  and  finding 
that  some  Kenites  were  settled  there,  he  warned  them  to  depart 
lest  they  should  share  the  doom  destined  for  the  Amalekites. 
The  Kenites,  who  were  descended  from  Abraham  and  con 
nected  with  Moses  through  his  wife  Zipporah,  had  always  been 
friendly  to  the  Hebrews.  They  were  a  peaceful,  pastoral 
people,  and  gladly  hearkening  to  the  warning,  removed  for  a 
time  to  some  other  spot  secure  from  the  encounter  of  hostile 
armies.  The  account  gives  no  details  of  the  war,  but  the  suc- 
cess of  the  expedition  was  perfect.  Victory  everywhere  attended 
the  arms  of  the  Israelites  ;  the  enemy  fled  before  them,  and  left 
enormous  spoils  to  the  conquerors.  They  were  smitten  "  from 
Havilah  to  Shur,"  an  expression  which  denotes  the  wide  extent 
of  the  raid.  It  is  used  in  Gen.  xxv.  18  to  denote  the  limits  of 
the  Israelites'  territories.  Havilah  was  some  place,  not  yet 
identified,  on  the  south  of  Judsea  in  the  wilderness,  and  Shur, 
which  means  "  wall,"  is  either  the  wall  which  was  built  by  the 

«  Tristram.  It  is  evidently  a  place  that  is  meant,  and  not  some  open 
spot  where  lambs  {ielaim)  where  collected,  which  would  have  been  too 
vague  for  a  rendezvous.  Comp,  xi.  8.  The  LXX.  and  Josephus  ("  Antiq.'* 
vi.  7.  2)  make  the  place  of  meeting  to  be  Gilgal,  and  the  numbers  respec- 
tively 400,000  and  30,000. 

*  "Our  Work  in  Palestine,"  276. 

3  Num.  xxi.  28.    Josh.  xix.  41.     i  Chron.  iv.  X2, 


150  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

Egyptians  to  defend  their  north-east  frontier  from  the  incur- 
sions of  the  desert  tribes,  and  which  ran  from  PeUisium  past 
Migdol  to  HeroopoHs,  or  else  that  wall-hke  cliff  of  limestone 
which  extends  southward  from  Suez,  called  by  the  Arabs  from 
its  remarkable  appearance  Jebel  er  Rahah  ("  mountain  of  the 
palm  of  the  hand  ").  Thus  the  devastations  of  the  Israelite  army 
extended  from  the  south  border  of  Judah  to  the  close  vicinity  of 
Egypt,  including  the  seizure  of  numerous  stationary  camps  and 
the  collection  of  an  immense  quantity  of  booty  and  captives. 
Now  according  to  the  terms  of  the  ban,  universal  destruction 
was  to  be  dealt  to  all  that  was  taken  from  this  accursed  nation. 
This  penalty  Saul  inflicted  without  reserve  on  all  the  Amalekites 
that  fell  into  his  hands,  and  on  the  less  valuable  of  the  cattle. 
Doubtless  of  these  hardy  dwellers  in  the  wilderness  a  large 
number  escaped,  both  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  overtaking  them, 
and  because  the  pursuit  flagged  when  the  Israelites  laid  their 
hands  on  the  cattle.  But  the  awful  interdict  was  not  carried 
out  in  all  its  strictness.  Saul  himself  spared  the  Amalekite 
king,  either  in  the  hope  of  receiving  a  rich  ransom  for  him,  or 
to  grace  his  triumph  by  the  exhibition  of  so  illustrious  a  captive. 
The  king  is  called  Agag,  but  this  is  probably  only  the  official  or 
generic  name  of  the  Amalekite  monarch,  as  Pharaoh  was  that 
of  the  Egyptian  rulers,  since  Balaam  in  his  prophecy  (Num. 
xxiv.  7),  speaking  of  Israel,  says  : 

t  **  His  king  shall  be  higher  than  Agag, 

And  his  kingdom  shall  be  exalted." 

In  other  particulars  the  stem  command  was  infringed.  The 
soldiers  in  their  covetousness  could  not  endure  to  part  with  so 
rich  a  prize  as  that  which  had  fallen  into  their  hands.  To  a 
pastoral  people  the  temptation  to  appropriate  the  cattle  which 
they  had  seized  was  irresistible ;  so  with  Saul's  connivance  they 
spared  the  best  of  the  sheep,  oxen  and  fatlings,  and  the  lambs, 
silencing  any  scruples  with  the  idea  that  the  ban  was  sufficiently 
executed  by  the  destruction  of  the  human  creatures  and  of  all 
that  was  worthless  among  the  flocks  and  herds.  They  were 
soon  undeceived.  To  save  aught  of  that  which  was  devoted  to 
destruction  was  to  fail  in  a  sacred  duty,  and  to  rob  God  of  His 
due.  The  backsliding  of  Saul  was  revealed  to  Samuel  in  his 
house  at  Ramah.  The  word  of  God  reaches  his  inward  ear  in 
the  dead  of  night,  telling  that  Saul  had  turned  back  from  follow- 


SAUL'S   FINAL   REJECTION.  ISI 

ing  the  Lord,  that  he  wished  to  be  independent  of  Divine 
control,  and  had  acted  and  intended  to  act  as  absolute  master 
of  Israel.  And  God  says,  "  It  repenteth  Me  that  I  have  set  up 
Saul  to  be  king."  This  was  a  very  bitter  announcement  to  the 
old  prophet.  He  was  not  only  grieved  at  this  failure  on  the  part 
of  one  whom  he  dearly  loved,  he  was  indignant  *  that  his  un- 
selfish promotion  of  the  people's  desire,  and  his  willing  self- 
abnegation  should  have  this  lamentable  issue.  Here  was  one 
who  had  been  elected  under  his  auspices,  solemnly  and  publicly 
anointed  by  him  acting  on  God's  behalf,  who  might  be  said  to  be 
the  choice  of  the  Lord,  deliberately  breaking  a  plain  and  positive 
command,  and  showing  himself  neither  religious  nor  obedient 
as  he  had  hoped  that  he  would  prove.  Was  there  not  fear  that 
hereby  occasion  would  be  given  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to 
blaspheme?  Would  not  dishonour  be  done  to  the  name  of  God, 
when  His  vicegerent  thus  insulted  Him  and  received  the  punish- 
ment which  he  deserved  ?  Well  might  the  prophet  be  angered 
at  this  poor  result  of  all  his  labours  and  the  seeming  frustration 
of  Jehovah's  purpose.  But  this  feeling  did  not  lead  the  man  of 
intercession  to  forget  his  duty.  All  night  long  till  morning 
dawned  he  cried  unto  the  Lord  for  the  erring  king,  praying  for 
his  repentance  and  the  restoration  of  the  favour  which  he  had 
wilfully  cast  away.  In  vain.  There  was  no  thought  of  re- 
pentance in  Saul's  breast ;  prosperity  and  power  had  hardened 
his  heart  and  augmented  his  proud  independence ;  so  for  him 
there  was  no  forgiveness  ;  his  final  doom  was  imparted  to 
Samuel,  and  he  was  ordered  to  deliver  it.  Saul  had  by  this 
time  returned  from  the  expedition,  bringing  his  booty  with  him. 
On  inquiry,  Samuel  found  that  he  had  come  to  Carmel  (now 
Kurtnul),  a  place  on  a  rich  plateau  about  seven  miles  south  of 
Hebron,  had  there  erected  a  trophy  of  victory,  and  was  now 
gone  on  to  Gilgal  in  the  Jordan  valley,  to  offer  sacrifices  and 
thank-offerings  at  that  holy  place.  The  monument  of  victory  is 
called  in  Hebrew  Yad,  "a  hand.'*  The  same  term  is  used  in  a 
similar  way  on  two  other  occasions.  Thus  Absalom,  having  no 
sons,  raised  a  pillar  near  Jerusalem  to  perpetuate  his  memory, 
which  was  known  by  the  name  of  "  Absalom's  hand  "  (2  Sam. 
xviii.  18).     And  Isaiah  (ch.  Ivi.  5)  says  :   "  Unto  them  will  I 

«  This  is  the  meaning  of    the  word  translated   "grieved"  in  i  Sam. 
XV.  II.     (Comp.  Num.  xi.  xa) 


152  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

give  in  mine  house  and  within  my  walls  a  hand  and  a  name." 
The  monument  doubtless  was  a  pillar,  either  shaped  like  a 
hand  or  with  an  open  hand  engraved  upon  it,  containing  the 
record  of  the  victory  over  the  Amalekites."^  The  kind  of 
memorial  then  set  up  has  been  familiarized  to  our  minds  by 
the  discovery  of  the  famous  Moabite  stone,  erected  at  Dibon 
by  Mesha,  king  of  Moab,  in  memory  of  his  successful  revolt 
against  Israel.^  Similar  memorials  are  found  in  Egypt.  Samuel 
immediately  followed  Saul  to  Gilgal,  which  was  some  fifteen 
miles  from  Ramah  ;  and  on  his  coming  being  notified  to  the  king, 
the  latter  went  to  meet  him,  saluting  him  in  the  usual  respectful 
way  :  "  Blessed  be  thou  of  the  Lord  ! "  Then,  either  to  pre- 
clude objections  to  his  late  breach  of  the  command,  or  so  blinded 
by  self-will  as  not  to  see  his  fault,  he  continues  complacently, 
and  as  though  he  expected  congratulations  on  the  prophet's 
part,  "  I  have  performed  the  commandment  of  the  Lord."  This 
was  true  in  part,  but  only  in  part.  He  had  obeyed  just  so  far 
as  was  agreeable  to  himself,  and  had  failed  to  carry  out  the 
order  thoroughly  and  to  the  letter.  To  his  assertion  the  voices 
of  the  animals  preserved  in  spite  of  the  ban  gives  the  lie.  With 
a  sad  irony  the  prophet  asks  :  "  If  thou  hast  performed  the 
Lord's  commandment,  what  meaneth  this  bleating  of  the  sheep 
in  mine  ears,  and  the  lowing  of  the  oxen  which  I  hear  ?  "  Saul 
cannot  escape  this  dilemma  ;  the  animals  were  brought  from 
the  Amalekites,  and  formed  part  of  the  spoil  devoted  to  destruc- 
tion ;  he  must  allow  this,  but  he  throws  the  blame  upon  the 
people.  It  was  they  who  insisted  upon  sparing  the  finest  of 
the  sheep  and  oxen  ;  but  they  did  this  with  the  best  of  motives, 
to  sacrifice  to  that  Lord  ("  the  Lord. thy  God  ")  whom  Samuel 
so  fervently  adored,  and  who,  he  hints,  is  too  exacting  in  His 
requirements.  He  had  done  all  that  could  reasonably  be  de- 
manded :  "  the  rest,"  he  says,  "  we  have  utterly  destroyed."  In 
all  this  the  hypocrisy  and  low  tone  of  morality  were  very  evi- 
dent. Such  a  defence  marked  a  sad  declension  in  the  Lord's 
anointed.  The  people  had  always  obeyed  him  unresistingly. 
How  easily  might  he  have  exerted  his  authority  to  repress  their 
wish  to  evade  the  stern  command  !    To  throw  the  blame  of  his 

»  Vigouroux,  "  La  Bible,"  &c.,  iii.  447  fF. 

'  A  popular  account  of  this  important  monument,  with  an  engraving  of 
the  stone,  will  be  found  in  Professor  Sayce's  "  Fresh  Light  from  the 
Monuments,"  pp.  76  fF. 


SAUL'S   FINAL   REJECTION.  153 

own  covetousness  and  disobedience  on  his  subjects  was  an 
action  unworthy  of  a  king,  mean  and  mendacious.  Samuel  will 
listen  no  longer.  He  has  a  sentence  to  deliver  ;  that  sentence 
which  he  had  prayed  all  night  long  might  be  withheld  ;  and 
these  feigned  excuses  show  him  painfully  how  necessary  the 
severe  verdict  had  become.  "  Stay,"  he  cries,  as  Saul  would 
fain  have  said  more,  or,  perhaps,  was  turning  away  desiring  to 
end  the  interview  ;  "  stay,  and  I  will  tell  thee  what  the  Lord 
hath  said  to  me  this  night."  He  begins  by  reminding  Saul 
how  from  low  estate  God  had  exalted  him  to  be  king  of  His 
people  Israel ;  there  was  a  time  when  he  had  thought  himself 
utterly  unworthy  of  so  high  a  position  ;  but  in  spite  of  this  the 
Lord  had  specially  chosen  him,  and  by  the  solemn  unction  had 
engaged  him  to  obey  his  Divine  head.  And  God  had  sent  him 
on  a  mission  to  destroy  the  sinners  the  Amalekites,  whose 
iniquity  was  now  filled  up.  "  Wherefore  then,"  continues  the 
prophet,  "  didst  thou  not  obey  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  but,  in 
thy  greed  and  self-will,  didst  fly  upon  the  spoil,  and  do  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ?  "  But  even  now  Saul 
will  not  admit  his  fault ;  either  he  knew  little  about  the  details 
of  the  law  which  he  had  violated,  or  he  wished  to  intimate  that 
as  king  he  had  no  superior,  and  would  carry  on  his  affairs 
without  dictation.  He  reiterates  his  former  excuses,  evidently 
caring  nothing  for  the  verdict  which  the  Reader  of  men's  hearts 
might  pass  on  his  conduct,  and  desiring  only  to  justify  himself 
before  Samuel.  "  I  have  obeyed  the  voice  of  the  Lord,"  he 
repeats.  "  It  is  true  that  the  people  spared  the  chief  of  the 
devoted  things.*  But  why  ?  To  pay  public  honour  to  the  Lord 
whose  prophet  you  profess  to  be,  ihey  selected  the  very  best  of 
the  spoil  which  would  otherwise  have  been  wasted.  And  in 
proof  of  my  victory  and  of  the  extermination  of  the  Amalekites, 
see,  I  have  saved  none  of  them  but  their  king,  who  stands  here 
before  you."  Samuel  will  listen  no  longer.  He  stops  this  justi- 
fication of  the  infringement  of  a  plain  command  on  a  pretence 
of  religion  by  enunciating  that  grand  principle  which  later 
prophets  so  constantly  taught  and  enforced,  and  which  our 
Blessed  Lord  Himself  endorsed,'  viz.,  that  external  ceremonies 

»  The  Authorized  Version  (i  Sam.  xv.  2i)  gives  a  wrong  impression  by 
rendering  :  "the  chief  of  the  things  which  should  have  been  utterly  de- 
stroyed."   This  reads  rather  like  an  ironical  parenthesis  (Payne  Smith). 
■  Ps.  1.  8.    Isa.  i.  ;  ii.   Jer.  vi.  20.    Hos.  vi.  6.    Mic.  vi.  6ft.    Matt.  ix.  13. 


154  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

and  ritual  conformity  are  nothing  worth  without  the  obedience 
of  the  heart.  Then  the  seer  in  rhythmical  measure,  as  uttering 
a  Divine  oracle  for  all  ages  to  remember  and  to  profit  by,  pro- 
ceeds to  pronounce  the  awful  sentence  with  which  he  is 
charged : 

••  Hath  the  Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices 
As  in  obeying  the  voice  of  the  Lord  ? 
Behold,  to  obey  is  better  tlian  sacrifice. 
And  to  hearlcen  than  the  fat  of  rams. 
For  rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft, 
And  stubbornness  is  as  idolatry  and  teraphim." 
Because  thou  hast  rejected  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
He  hath  also  rejected  thee  from  being  king." 

The  solemn  sentence  struck  Saul  with  terror.  What,  should 
he  be  ranked  with  idolaters  and  dealers  in  witchcraft  ?  Had 
he  to  whom  such  offences  were  really  abominable  laid  himself 
open  to  such  a  charge  ?  And  was  the  authority  to  which  he 
had  learned  to  cling  with  such  satisfaction  to  be  torn  from  his 
grasp  ?  Sunk  as  he  was,  he  cannot  contemplate  the  sentence 
unshrinking.  He  trembles  at  the  prophet's  word.  "  I  have 
sinned,"  he  cries  ;  *'  for  I  have  transgressed  the  commandment 
of  the  Lord,  and  thy  word."  There  was  repentance  in  the  lan- 
guage ;  there  was  no  real  repentance  in  the  heart.  He  was 
vexed  at  the  turn  things  had  taken,  annoyed  that  the  only 
authority  to  which  he  felt  inclined  to  bow  should  view  his  con- 
duct so  harshly ;  and  even  while  acknowledging  his  fault  he 
endeavours  to  minimize  it  by  insinuating  that  he  was  not  a  free 
agent,  and  by  ascribing  it  to  a  laudable  desire  to  gratify  his 
subjects'  wishes.  The  excuse  only  exhibited  more  clearly  his 
unfitness  for  his  position.  He  should  have  used  his  power  to 
check  these  unlawful  desires  ;  he  should  have  set  forth  before 
the  people  the  Law  of  God,  and  his  intention  to  uphold  it  at  all 
costs.  How  was  he  suited  for  the  post  of  theocratic  king  who 
set  popularity  above  duty  ?  He  still  felt  no  sorrow  for  the  sin 
itself ;  he  grieved  only  for  its  consequences,  present  and  future- 
He  saw  that  this  public  rupture  between  himself  and  the  great 
and  honoured  prophet  would  diminish  his  authority  and  do  him 

»  The  teraphim  were  the  household  gods  of  the  Israelites,  like  the  Lares 
of  the  Romans.  They  were  probably  images  of  ancestors,  and  if  not  actually 
worshipped,  were  used  in  unlawful  magical  rites. 


SAUL'S   FINAL  REJECTION.  1 55 

irreparable  mischief;  so  he  begged  Samuel  not  to  desert  him 
at  this  crisis.  Seeming  to  fear  the  minister  of  Jehovah  more 
than  Jehovah  Himself,  he  made  another  appeal :  "  I  pray  thee," 
he  says  to  Samuel,  "  pardon  my  sin,  and  turn  again  with  me, 
that  I  may  worship  the  Lord."  Samuel  at  first  was  deaf  to  the 
entreaty,  and  repeated  the  message  of  doom  :  "  I  will  not  return 
with  thee  ;  for  thou  hast  rejected  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
Lord  hath  rejected  thee  from  being  king  over  Israel."  But  as 
Samuel  turned  to  leave  him,  the  king,  in  despair,  seized  the 
border  of  his  upper-robe,  holding  him  by  its  collar  in  order  to 
detain  him.  With  such  violence  did  he  do  this  that  it  tore  under 
his  grasp.  The  prophet  takes  this  as  an  omen  of  the  future. 
"The  Lord,"  he  announces,  "hath  rent  the  kingdom  of  Israel 
from  thee  this  day,  and  hath  given  it  to  a  neighbour  of  thine, 
that  is  better  than  thou."  Saul  had  already  deprived  his  pos- 
terity of  any  share  in  the  kingdom,  and  now  he  has  ruined  his 
own  prospects.  Samuel  does  not  yet  know  who  is  the  person 
intended  by  his  prophetic  announcement,  and  therefore  he  uses 
the  vague  term  "  neighbour,"  which  may  mean  any  man  ;  but 
he  will  be  one  who  will  be  more  obedient  than  Saul.  And  he 
confirms  his  words  by  adding,  "  He  who  is  the  changeless  glory 
of  Israel  will  not  lie  nor  repent ;  for  He  is  not  a  man  that  He 
should  repent."  God's  purpose  stands  immutable.  Saul's  elec- 
tion to  and  continuance  in  the  kingdom  had  been  conditional  ; 
his  rejection  is  absolute  and  final.  Yet  certain  as  this  now  was, 
Samuel  at  length  yielded  to  Saul's  renewed  entreaty,  and  con- 
sented to  hide  the^  rupture  from  the  people's  eyes  by  assisting 
at  the  public  sacrifices  and  worship  now  about  to  be  offered. 
It  was  no  part  of  Samuel's  mission  to  create  anarchy  and  con- 
fusion by  withdrawing  all  countenance  from  the  \i\\\g  de  facto 
before  a  successor  was  appointed.  In  his  cooler  moments  he 
saw  that  to  decline  Saul's  request  and  to  slight  the  monarch  in 
this  open  manner  might  give  a  new  impulse  to  any  disaffection 
that  existed,  opponents  supporting  their  antagonism  by  the 
authority  of  the  prophet's  great  name.  So  he  turned  and  joined 
Saul  in  his  religious  acts.  But  he  had  one  more  duty  to  per- 
form ere  he  left  the  assembly.  He  must  show  that  he  did  not 
sanction  the  violation  of  the  Divine  command,  and  do  this 
by  an  act  which  would  prove  that  he  was  terribly  in  earnest. 
Agag,  the  wicked  king  of  a  wicked  nation,  had  been  devoted  to 
death.     Saul,  by  an  ill-advised  clemency,  had  saved  him  alive  ; 


156  SAMUEL  AND    SAUL. 

but  he  could  not  be  permitted  to  live  ;  the  ban  must  be  carried 
out.  Samuel  had  heard  of  his  preservation,  and  now  orders 
him  to  be  brought  forward.  Agag  comes,  fettered  hand  and 
foot ;  ^  and  when  he  is  in  the  presence  of  the  king  and  the 
austere  prophet,  though  he  knows  that  at  such  a  great  national 
festival  held  in  honour  of  victory  it  was  only  natural  that  his 
life  should  be  sacrificed,  he  will  not  abandon  all  hope  of  escape, 
and  says,  with  an  implied  doubt  amid  the  seeming  confidence 
of  his  words  :  "  Surely  the  bitterness  of  death  is  past."'  Samuel 
immediately  disabuses  him  of  the  notion  that  he  will  escape 
death.  Sternly  he  pronounces  the  doom  :  "  As  thy  sword  hath 
made  women  childless,  so  shall  thy  mother  be  childless  among 
women."  And  with  his  own  hand  he  executes  the  sentence. 
There  before  the  altar  of  Jehovah,  as  a  righteous  act  of  retribu- 
tion done  for  the  glory  of  God,  he  hews  Agag  in  pieces.  This 
act  seems  so  repugnant  to  modern  ideas  and  to  a  superficial 
estimate  of  the  prophet's  duty  and  character,  that  many  assume 
that  Samuel  merely  gave  the  order  for  the  execution,  and  left 
it  to  be  carried  out  by  others.  Certainly  there  is  nothing  in 
the  language  of  the  narrative  to  confirm  this  notion  ;  and  we 
have  no  right  to  introduce  into  the  sacred  record  interpreta- 
tions solely  suggested  by  our  idea  of  the  fitness  of  things.  From 
what  is  written  we  gather  that  Samuel,  roused  to  high  excite- 
ment by  the  present  circumstances,  and  for  the  moment  gifted 
with  unusual  vigour,  did  in  his  official  capacity  slay  the  devoted 
Agag.  Thus  he  carried  out  the  ban,  did  that  which  the  king 
had  failed  to  do,  and  removed  from  the  nation  the  guilt  of  a 
broken  oath.  Thus  he  gave  an  example  needed  in,  and  suited 
to,  that  rough  age,  of  uncompromising  pbedience  to  God's  com- 
mands, and  left  to  all  time  the  lesson  that  God's  work  must  be 

'  This  is  the  rendering  adopted  by  Dean  Payne  Smith  and  Klostermann. 
I'he  Authorized  Version  gives  "delicately":  the  LXX.  "  trembhng " ; 
Vulg.,  "very  fat  and  trembling  "  ;  Aquila,  "  with  daintiness  "  ;  Symmachus, 
"  delicate."  The  Syriac  omits  it  altogether.  Most  modern  commentators 
take  the  word  to  mean  "  cheerfully  ";  but  Agag's  observation  next  recorded 
scarcely  bears  out  this  interpretation.  The  word  occurs  in  Job.  xxxviii.  31, 
where  it  is  rightly  rendered  "  bands." 

2  Ewald's  idea  that  Agag's  words  imply  a  cheerful  acquiescence  in  the 
sentence  pronounced  upon  him,  is  surely  most  unreasonable.  What  could 
lead  this  cruel,  luxurious  heathen  to  come  to  his  death  not  "  unwilling  and 
struggling,  but  rather,  as  if  suddenly  transformed  by  a  loftier  impulse,  with 
delight  and  joy  "  ?    ("Hist,  of  Israel."  iii.  -y^). 


SAUL'S   FINAL   REJECTION.  1 57 

done  thoroughly,  no  thought  of  self  being  allowed  to  influence 
the  due  execution  of  His  directions. 

Having  thus  vindicated  the  rights  of  Jehovah,  Samuel  parted 
from  Saul  and  returned  to  his  home  at  Ramah,  leaving  affairs 
of  state,  and  devoting  himself  to  the  training  of  younger 
prophets  and  citizens,  thus  laying  the  foundations  of  national 
welfare  on  safer  grounds  than  popular  favour  or  royal  caprice." 
The  old  relations  between  himself  and  the  monarch  were  en- 
tirely broken  off.  Saul  was  no  longer  the  theocratic  king  to 
whom  the  prophet  communicated  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and 
who  went  in  and  out  under  his  guidance.  He  was  de  facto 
king  ;  but  his  kingdom  was  altogether  of  this  world  :  he  had 
sunk  away  from  God  by  little  and  little,  and  now  communion 
with  God  was  his  no  longer.  Samuel's  reproachful  words  at 
Gilgal  had  been  very  unwelcome  to  him  ;  he  had  never  cordially 
sought  his  counsel  from  that  time  ;  he  engaged  at  Michmash 
without  asking  his  advice  ;  he  had  not  invited  his  presence  at 
the  solemn  thanksgiving  for  victory  over  the  Amalekites.  But 
Samuel  hitherto  had  clung  to  the  king  in  spite  of  manifold  dis- 
couragements. Now  at  length  he  is  forced  to  give  him  up. 
Never  more  did  he  come  to  see  him  as  long  as  he  lived.  Once 
indeed,  they  met  at  one  of  the  schools  of  the  prophets,  but  this 
was  inadvertently,  and  nothing  passed  between  them.  Yet 
Samuel  could  not  forget  Saul.  He  had  loved  him  for  his  early 
promise,  for  his  high  and  noble  qualities,  for  his  brave  services  ; 
and  he  mourned  his  fall,  as  a  father  sorrows  over  a  beloved 
son's  degradation  and  ruin.  Perhaps,  too,  he  saw  in  his  sus- 
piciousness and  unrestrained  self-will  signs  of  that  terrible 
malady  which  darkened  the  later  years  of  Saul's  life  ;  and  the 
good  old  prophet  grieved,  not  only  for  the  king  who  had  thrown 
away  his  great  opportunities,  but  also  for  the  man  whose  future 
was  clouded  with  a  dreadful  apprehension. 

«  Ewald,  iii.  47. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   SUCCESSOR    ANOINTED. 

Samuel  sent  to  Bethlehem— Anoints  David— Condition  of  Saul— David 
summoned  to  soothe  him  with  music — Philistines  invade  Judah — Valley 
of  Elah  —  Goliath  challenges  the  Israelites  —  David  accepts  the 
challenge  ;  kills  the  giant — Defeat  and  slaughter  of  the  Philistines — 
Saul  takes  David  into  his  service— Friendship  of  David  and  Jonathan. 

Samuel  was  unable  all  at  once  to  reconcile  himself  to  the 
repudiation  of  Saul.  He  mourned  for  the  wreck  of  the  high 
hopes  which  he  had  entertained,  and  for  the  seeming  frustration 
of  the  purpose  of  God  in  allowing  the  election  of  a  king.  He 
knew  not  as  yet  how  the  vacancy  in  the  theocratic  throne  was 
to  be  filled  up,  and  he  feared  that  the  rejection  of  the  present 
king  might  lead  to  the  loosening  of  all  authority  in  the  state  and 
a  return  to  that  disunion  and  political  weakness  from  which 
Saul  had  raised  the  nation.  And  the  cry  of  intercession  ceased 
not  to  rise  from  the  hill  of  Ramah  ;  it  may  be  that  in  answer  to 
that  mighty  supphcation  immediate  vengeance  was  suspended. 
The  voice  of  God  roused  the  old  seer  from  his  sorrowful 
inaction,  and  bade  him  go  and  anoint  a  successor  to  the 
rejected  Saul.  He  was  to  take  a  vessel  filled  with  the  sacred 
oil  kept  with  the  ark,  and  to  go  to  Bethlehem,  and  there  anoint 
one  of  the  sons  of  Jesse,  a  well-known  inhabitant  of  that  village. 
David,'  the  one  to  be  selected,  is  not  specially  named  at  this 
stage  of  the  transaction.     Samuel  will  be  guided  in  his  choice 

»  The  history  of  David  is  very  briefly  handled  in  the  present  work,  as  it 
is  fully  narrated  in  another  book  of  this  series,  "  David :  his  Life  and 
Times." 


A  SUCCESSOR  ANOINTED.  1 59 

in  such  a  manner  that  all  may  see  that  the  election  is  of  God, 
and  that  no  private  feeling  interferes  to  control  its  freedom. 
Bethlehem,  which  was  some  twelve  miles  south  of  Ramah,  was 
not  one  of  the  places  visited  by  Samuel  in  his  judicial  circuit, 
and  the  families  who  dwelt  there  were  probably  unknown  to 
him.  Certainly  he  had  no  acquaintance  with  David  when  this 
intimation  reached  him.  The  mission  was  a  perilous  one. 
Samuel  was  not  one  to  show  fear  or  hesitation  when  a  duty 
was  set  before  him,  yet  even  he  is  in  dread.  "  How  can  I  go  ? " 
he  asks.  "  If  Saul  hear  it,  he  will  kill  me."  That  jealousy  and 
suspicion  which  dominated  Saul's  later  life  had  already  begun  to 
display  themselves,  and  since  his  rejection  had  made  rapid  pro- 
gress. Besides,  being  still  actually  king,  he  would  naturally 
consider  the  anointing  of  another  in  his  stead  as  an  act  of 
treason,  which,  in  his  view,  might  justly  be  punished  by  death  ; 
and  though  probably  he  had  too  much  respect  for  the  old 
prophet  to  deal  with  him  thus  violently,  still  he  might  have 
restricted  his  liberty,  or  banished  him  from  the  land,  or  taken 
a  bloody  revenge  upon  Jesse  and  his  household.  This  fear, 
therefore,  was  not  unreasonable,  and  Samuel  is  instructed  how 
he  may  escape  the  danger  and  yet  perform  his  mission  success- 
fully. He  had  long  been  accustomed  to  visit  various  localities 
for  the  purpose  of  offering  sacrifice,  which,  in  the  abnormal 
condition  of  religious  matters,  when  the  ark  was  separated  from 
the  tabernacle,  it  was  lawful  for  him  to  do  as  the  commissioned 
prophet  of  the  Lord.  He  is  now  directed  to  use  this  custom  in 
order  to  cloak  his  design  from  the  jealous  eye  of  Saul.  He  was 
to  take  a  heifer  and  to  go  to  Bethlehem,  and  to  announce  that  he 
was  come  to  offer  a  sacrifice  to  the  Lord.  He  was  further  to  invite 
Jesse  and  his  sons  to  the  sacrificial  feast  that  followed,  and  then 
God  would  show  him  how  to  act  in  the  matter  of  the  unction.  The 
object  of  Samuel's  visit  to  Bethlehem  was,  as  fjir  as  his  public 
actions  were  concerned,  to  offer  accustomed  sacrifices.  If  he 
had  a  further  purpose,  in  which  the  people  generally  were  not  in- 
terested,he  was  under  no  moral  obligation  to  disclose  it.  Samuel, 
guarding  well  the  secret  commission,  went,  as  he  was  directed, 
to  Bethlehem.  It  was  an  unusual  visit.  Never  before  had  he 
come  to  this  place,  and  the  elders  were  alarmed  at  the  solemn 
entry  of  the  dreaded  prophet  with  the  heifer  and  the  long  horn 
of  sacred  oil  in  his  hand.  Had  he  come  to  hold  an  inquisition 
on  them  for  some  dereliction  of  duty  .'*  or  was  this  unexpected 


l6o  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

arrival  connected  with  the  breach  between  him  and  the  king  of 
which  they  had  lately  heard?  Why  was  their  secluded  little 
village  thus  singled  out  ?  Samuel  quickly  reassured  them,  and 
announcing  that  he  came  to  sacrifice,  bade  them  sanctify  them- 
selves and  get  ready  to  attend  the  ceremony  and  the  banquet 
that  followed.  The  invitation  was  especially  offered  to  Jesse, 
the  chief  or  sheikh  of  the  town,  and  his  sons.  When  the 
sacrifice  was  offered,  before  the  invited  guests  sat  down  to  the 
feast,  which  would  not  take  place  for  some  hours,  Samuel  went 
to  Jesse's  house,  and  had  his  sons  presented  to  him,  waiting  for 
the  Lord  to  point  out  the  one  whom  he  was  to  anoint.  He 
seems  to  have  told  Jesse  little  or  nothing  of  the  design  of  this 
ceremony,  and  to  have  acted  throughout  in  a  mysterious  man- 
ner, calculated  rather  to  court  than  to  satisfy  inquiry.  When 
he  beheld  Eliab,  the  eldest  son,  a  stately  man,  with  a  fine  and 
noble  countenance,  he  said  to  himself  that  this  must  be  the 
Lord's  anointed,  but  was  taught  that  he  was  mistaken  in  think- 
ing that  physical  advantages  necessarily  imply  high  moral 
qualities.  Six  other  sons  passed  in  review  before  him,  but 
none  of  them  were  selected,  though  all  were  gallant,  strong,  and 
beautiful.  Perplexed  and  uncertain  how  to  act  in  this  dilemma, 
Samuel  asks  Jesse  if  these  seven  are  all  the  sons  he  has,  and  is 
informed  that  there  is  one  more,  the  youngest,  who  was  in  the 
fields  keeping  sheep.  He  is  sent  for,  and  comes  before  the  old 
prophet,  very  different  in  appearance  from  his  dark  stalwart 
brothers,  fair  in  complexion,  with  reddish  hair  and  beautiful 
eyes,  and  withal  of  small  and  delicate  frame.  As  Samuel  gazes 
on  this  youth,  the  voice  Divine  bids  him  arise  and  anoint  him, 
for  this  was  the  chosen  son.  Samuel  took  the  oil,  and  without 
further  words  or  explanation  anointed  David  in  the  midst  of 
his  brethren.  What  the  spectators  thought  of  the  transaction 
we  are  not  told.  Certainly  neither  David  nor  they  saw  in  it 
any  immediate  delegation  to  the  kingdom  ;  the  high  destiny  to 
which  this  youth  was  called  was  not  mentioned,  and  he  returned 
to  his  usual  occupations  afterwards  as  if  nothing  uncommon 
had  happened.  The  anointing  seemed  to  the  brethren  to  be 
merely  a  mode  of  designating  the  boy  as  assistant  at  the 
sacrificial  ceremony,  or  enrolling  him  as  pupil  in  the  prophetic 
school.  But  it  had  an  inward  effect  on  David  himself ;  "  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  him  ; "  his  character 
developed    itself   in    many  ways,   and  the    Divine    influence 


A  SUCCESSOR  ANOINTED.  l6l 

was  shown  in  the  high  and  noble  qualities  which  he  ex- 
hibited. 

His  mission  completed,  Samuel  returned  to  Ramah.  How 
fared  it  with  the  rejected,  though  not  deposed,  Saul  ?  His  state 
is  described  in  awful  words  :  *'  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  had 
departed  from  Saul,  and  an  evil  spirit  from  the  Lord  terrified 
him."  Whether  Saul's  was  a  case  of  demoniacal  possession, 
or  merely  of  morbid  mental  disease,  cannot  be  determined.  An 
unscientific  age  ascribed  madness,  epilepsy,  and  some  other 
diseases,  to  the  direct  action  of  the  devil ;  and  doubtless  such 
inflictions  were  sometimes  rightly  so  designated,  God  allowing 
the  evil  spirit  to  exercise  a  certain  influence  on  the  bodies  and 
minds  of  wicked  men.  Saul's  state  was  regarded  as  a  Divine 
judgment  upon  him.  Reasoning  from  all  the  circumstances 
known  to  us,  we  may  come  to  the  following  conclusion  :  the  de- 
nunciations of  Samuel,  the  withdrawal  of  the  kingdom  from  him- 
self and  his  descendants,  a  feeling  of  being  ill-treated,  a  proud 
self-will  which  would  not  submit  to  rebuke,  and  an  uneasy 
expectation  of  the  sudden  appearance  of  some  competitor  to  the 
throne,  rendered  him  gloomy,  suspicious,  irascible.  To  these 
feelings  he  gave  himself  over  ;  fits  of  despondency  became  more 
frequent  as  he  less  and  less  resisted  them  ;  discontented  with 
himself,  he  made  no  effort  at  reformation  ;  every  year,  every 
day,  increased  the  evil,  till  his  mind  gave  way,  and  he  became 
to  some  extent  actually  insane. 

As  these  fits  of  frenzy  grew  more  violent,  Saul's  attendants 
became  alarmed,  and  considered  how  best  to  alleviate  them. 
The  influence  of  music  in  such  cases  was  well  established. 
iEsculapius  used  it  in  the  treatment  of  insane  patients,  and 
throughout  the  East  it  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  agents 
for  allaying  troubled  spirits.  So  they  recommended  Saul  to 
seek  for  some  cunning  player  on  the  harp  who  might  sootlie  his 
mind  by  his  sweet  strains,  and  restore  to  him  peace  and  com- 
fort. According  to  one  historian,  this  suggestion  led  to  David's 
introduction  to  the  king ;  according  to  another  and  more 
reliable  tradition,  the  combat  with  Goliath  first  brought  him  to 
Saul's  notice,  and  his  attendance  at  the  court  as  minstrel  com- 
menced subsequently  to  that  event.  Our  present  Hebrew  text 
does  not  give  the  accounts  of  these  matters  in  strict  chronolo- 
gical order,  as  they  are  derived  from  different  authorities,  and 
inserted  with  no  attempt  at  reconciliation.     The  writer  of  the 

12 


1 62  SAMUEL   AND   SAUL. 

history   of    Saul  finishes  his    record   (i   Sam.  xvi.)    by   telling 
generally  how   David  was  anointed  and    made  known  to  the 
public.     In  chap.  xvii.  the  history  of  David  is  commenced  from 
the  beginning,  some  details  already  mentioned  being  given,  and 
many  new   ones   added.     If  we  adopt  the  commonly  received 
(but,  as  I  think,  erroneous)  sequence  of  events,  the  story  will 
run  as  follows.     Saul  consenting  to  try  the  proposed  remedy  for 
his  malady,  one  of  his  attendants,  himself  probably  trained  in 
the  school  at  Naioth  and  familiar  with  those  who  had  enjoyed 
the  same  education,  mentioned  David  as  just  the  person  to  suit 
his  requirements.     "I  have  seen,"  he  said,  "  a  son  of  Jesse  the 
Bethlehemite,  that  is  cunning  in  playing,  and  a  mighty  man  of 
valour,  and  a  man  of  war,  and  prudent  in  speech,  and  a  comely 
person,  and  the  Lord  is  with  him."    From  this  description  of 
David  we  gather  that  from  the  time  of  his  unction  he  had  ex- 
hibited wonderful  energy   and  courage,  his   natural  gifts,  his 
qualities  both  of  body  and  soul,  were  enhanced  by  Divine  in- 
fluence ;  he  had  taken  part  in  resisting  some  inroad  of  the  Philis- 
tines, and  was  well  known  as  a  good  soldier  and  a  brave  de- 
fender  of  his  father's  flocks    against   human   marauders   and 
against  wild  beasts.     If  this  conversation  is,  as  I  believe,  to  be 
referred  to  a  later  period,  the  allusion  to  David's  valour  will 
naturally  be  explained  of  his  combat  with  the  giant,  after  which 
he  had  returned  to  his  homely  calling  till  summoned  to  court 
in  order  to  use  his  musical  skill  in  Saul's  service.     He  must 
have  been  now  about  eighteen  years  old.     The  king  was  greatly 
pleased  with  what  he  heard.     He  was  always  looking  out  for 
any  promising  youth  who  might  make  an  useful  soldier,  and  it 
gratified  him  to  think  that  in  David  he  might  find  one  who  was 
not  only  a  skilful  musician,  but  might  in  a  very  short  time  be 
added  to  his  roll  of  mighty  men.     So  Saul  dispatched  an  im- 
perative message  to  Jesse  at  Bethlehem  bidding  him  to  send 
David  at  once  to  court.     Jesse  could  not  disobey  this  order  ; 
and  as  a  great  man  was  not  to  be  approached  without  a  present, 
and  compliance  with  a  superior's  commands  was  usually  thus 
accompanied,  Jesse  sent  with  his  son  an  ass  laden  with  some 
produce  of  his  farm  as  an  offering  to  the  king.     The  present 
was  simple  enough,  and  suited  to  an  unsophisticated  state  of 
society  ;  it  consisted  of  bread,  a  leathern  bottle  of  wine,  and  a 
fine  kid.     Thus  introduced,  the  youthful  shepherd  stood  before 
tiie  monarch,  and,  when  the  latter  suffered  from  an  attack  of  his 


A  SUCCESSOR  ANOINTED.  I63 

malady,  played  upon  his  harp  and  soothed  the  frenzied  patient 
into  calmness.  These  fits  of  insanity  were  at  present  of  in- 
frequent occurrence  ;  and  as  David's  presence  was  required  only 
at  intervals,  he  returned  continually  to  his  home,  and  resumed 
his  pastoral  occupations  or  received  instruction  at  the  mouth  of 
Samuel.  It  is  very  possible  that  Saul  in  his  sane  moments  saw 
but  little  of  the  young  musician,  and  when  some  time  elapsed 
without  his  services  being  called  in  requisition,  he  almost  forgot 
his  person,  and  thought  no  more  about  him.  A  year  or  two 
later,  after  Saul  had  reigned  some  twelve  years,  his  attention 
was  fixed  on  David  by  a  very  remarkable  circumstance  which 
the  sacred  historian  relates  at  some  length.^ 

The  restless  Philistines  at  this  time  again  endeavoured  to 
reduce  the  Israelites  under  their  yoke.  We  are  ignorant  of  the 
circumstances  which  inspired  them  to  undertake  this  new  attack, 
but  it  was  made  with  a  large  force  and  displayed  considerable 
skill.  They  had  entered  the  territory  of  Judah,  and  massed 
their  forces  between  Socoh  and  Azekah,  in  Ephes  -  dammim. 
These  places  have  been  satisfactorily  identified.  Socoh,  now 
Shuweikeh,  lies  on  a  kind  of  natural  terrace  about  half  a  mile 
above  the  valley  of  Elah,  "the  Terebinth,''  in  the  hill  country 
some  sixteen  miles  south-west  of  Jerusalem.  Azekah,  now  Deir 
el  Aspek,  is  in  the  more  open  country  below  the  Wady  Surar, 
eight  miles  north  of  Socoh,  on  the  main  road  from  the  valley  of 
Elah.    About  a  mile  to  the  south  occurs  Beit  Eased,  "  House  of 

*  The  Vaticcan  MS.  of  the  Septuagint,  after  verse  11  of  chapter  xvii. 
(*'  When  Saul  and  all  Israel  heard  those  words  of  the  Philistine,  they  were 
dismayed,  and  greatly  afraid  ")  goes  at  once  to  ver.  32  :  "  And  David  said  to 
Saul,  Let  no  man's  heart  fail,"  &c. ,  thus  omitting  the  unnecessary  recapitu- 
lation, ver.  12,  "  Now  David  was  the  son  of  that  Ephrathite,"  &c.,  and 
the  episode  of  David's  brethren.  The  Greek  narrates  the  flight,  and  the 
death  of  the  giant,  but  omits  from  ver.  55  of  this  chapter  to  ver.  5  of  chap, 
xviii.;  that  is,  after  saying  that  David  put  the  giant's  armour  in  his  tent,  it 
proceeds  with  the  account  of  the  women  meeting  the  returning  army  with 
songs,  &c.  We  thus  get  rid  of  the  difficulty  of  Saul's  question  to  Abner. 
It  is  perhaps  hardly  justifiable  to  correct  the  Hebrew  text  from  the  Greek 
version,  but  it  is  plain  that  our  present  text  is  put  together  unskilfully,  and 
that  attempts  were  early  made  to  eUminate  supposed  discrepancies.  The 
Alexandrian  MS.  translates  the  Hebrew  text  as  we  now  have  it,  but  it  is  evi- 
dently the  work  of  a  different  hand  from  that  which  rendered  the  rest  of 
the  passage.  Josephus  seems  to  have  had  in  his  copy  xvii.  12-31,  but  not 
xvii.  55  to  xviii.  5,  and  he  always  uses  the  Septuagint  version  in  his  histories. 


164  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

bleeding,"  which  represents  the  site  of  the  Philistine  encamp- 
ment, that  place  of  ill-omened  name,  Ephes-dammim,  "the 
boundary  of  blood,"  so  called  from  the  frequent  and  sanguinary- 
encounters  of  which  it  was  the  scene.  Saul  took  up  his  position 
on  the  side  of  the  valley  of  Elah,  the  Wady  Sunt,  on  one  of  the 
low  rocky  hills,  covered  with  lentisk  bushes,  which  there 
abound.  Between  the  two  hosts  lay  the  broad  open  valley,  rich 
and  fertile,  but  divided  lengthwise  in  its  midst  by  a  remarkable 
ravine,  the  presence  of  which  sufficiently  accounts  for  the 
opposing  armies  being  unable  to  bring  matters  to  a  decisive 
issue  by  engaging  in  a  pitched  battle.  Captain  Conder*  de- 
scribes it  as  a  deep  trench,  formed  by  a  mountain  torrent 
which  runs  with  great  violence  in  the  winter,  though  dry  in 
summer.  This  gai,  or  channel,  is  some  twenty  feet  wide,  with 
steep  vertical  sides,  ten  or  twelve  feet  deep,  and  quite  impassable 
except  in  certain  places.  The  sides  of  this  trench  are  strewn 
with  rounded,  water-worn  pebbles,  each  fitted  for  use  in  the 
sling. 

While  the  two  armies  thus  lay  facing  one  another,  the  Philis- 
tines sent  forth  a  well-known  champion  of  theirs,  Goliath  of 
Gath,  the  city  of  the  Anakim  (Josh.  xi.  22),  to  challenge  any  of 
the  Israelites  to  single  combat,  and  to  leave  the  issue  of  the  war 
to  be  decided  by  this  encounter.  He  was  a  very  formidable  foe. 
The  account  of  his  size  and  equipment  is  such  as  to  make  one 
marvel.  His  height  is  said  to  have  been  "  six  cubits  and  a 
span,"  some  eight  feet  and  a  half  at  the  lowest  estimate  ; 
others  give  him  almost  an  additional  foot.  The  arms  of 
this  monster  were  suited  to  his  dimensions.  The  mediaeval 
knights  in  their  thick  plate  armour  were  useless  when  dis- 
mounted or  overthrown ;  and  Goliath  must  have  been 
thoroughly  unwieldly  and  slow  in  movement  under  the  excessive 
weight  of  his  armour  and  weapons.  An  active  adversary  would 
have  had  every  advantage  against  him  in  spite  of  his  size  and 
strength.  But  his  appearance  was  what  he  and  his  friends 
relied  upon  to  inspire  the  foe  with  terror.  They  put  him  forth 
in  the  vacant  space  between  the  two  armies  to  insult  the  Israel- 
ites, and  to  offer  a  challenge  which  they  presumed  would  never 
be  accepted.  Like  Homer's  heroes,  he  stands  and  boasts  of  his 
prowess  and  laughs  to  scorn  his  puny  opponents.   *'  Choose  you 

«"  Tent  Work,"  ii.  160.     "  Quarterly  Statement,"  1875,  1876. 


A  SUCCESSOR  ANOINTED.  lC$ 

a  man  for  you,"  he  cries,  "  and  let  him  come  down  to  me.  If 
he  be  able  to  fight  with  me,  and  to  kill  me,  then  will  we  be  your 
servants  ;  but  if  I  prevail  against  him,  and  kill  him,  then  shall  ye 
be  our  servants,  and  serve  us.  I  defy  the  armies  of  Israel  this 
day."  Thus  standing  on  his  own  side  of  the  ravine,  the  giant 
flung  his  challenge  at  Israel.  Saul  and  his  followers  looked  on 
and  listened  in  dismay,  but  no  one  dared  accept  the  offered 
combat.  The  issues  were  too  momentous  to  be  entrusted  to 
common  hands,  and  yet  there  was  no  one  of  sufficient  courage 
and  skill  among  the  chiefs  to  uphold  the  cause  of  God's  people. 
The  king  himself  was  withheld  by  his  dignity  from  answering 
the  challenge ;  Jonathan's  life  was  considered  too  valuable  to 
be  endangered  in  such  an  unequal  fight.  In  this  dilemma  they 
asked  no  counsel  of  God  or  His  priest,  but  for  forty  days  en- 
dured these  grievous  taunts,  not  knowing  how  to  repress  them. 
Saul,  it  is  true,  had  made  lavish  offers  to  any  one  who  should 
slay  the  insolent  Philistine,  promising  to  enrich  him  with  untold 
wealth,  to  give  him  his  daughter  in  marringe,  and  to  bestow 
privileges  and  immunities  upon  all  his  family  ;  but  no  one 
came  forward  to  compete  for  these  prizes  at  the  price  of  what 
seemed  certain  death.  Among  the  warriors  in  Saul's  army 
were  the  three  eldest  sons  of  Jesse  ;  and  it  was  the  custom  of 
their  father  to  send  David  to  them  with  provisions  during  the 
campaign.  One  of  these  occasions  happened  at  the  end  of  the 
forty  days  just  mentioned.  David,  who  had  not  before  heard 
of  the  huge  champion  and  his  insolent  challenge,  arrived  at  the 
waggon  rampart  of  the  camp  just  as  Goliath  stalked  forward 
and  uttered  his  daily  boast.  He  was  utterly  amazed  to  see  that 
this  uncircumcised  PhiHstine  was  thus  allowed  to  insult  the  army 
of  Jehovah  ;  and  having  heard  of  the  king's  terms,  he  was 
moved  by  the  spirit  within  him  to  offer  himself  as  the  champion 
of  Israel.  Brought  before  Saul  he  expressed  his  desire  to 
accept  the  giant's  challenge,  and  declining  the  offer  of  Saul's 
armour,  declared  that  he  would  go  as  he  was  to  the  combat, 
and  had  no  doubt  at  all  concerning  the  issue.  His  ready  con- 
fidence inspired  Saul  and  Abner  with  like  trust,  and  they  let 
him  have  his  way.  But  Saul's  interest  was  keenly  aroused  ; 
and  wishing  to  know  more  of  one  who  might  some  day  become 
his  son-in-law,  he  inquired  of  Abner  whose  son  the  stripling 
was  ;  but  Abner  could  give  him  no  information.  Meantime 
David,  in  his  simple  shepherd's  dress,  and  unarmed  save  for 


-l66  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

his  shepherd's  staff  and  the  goat's-hair  sling,  in  the  use  of  which 
the  pastoral  Israelites  were  well  skilled,  left  the  camp,  and 
crossing  the  plain,  approached  the  gully  that  had  so  long  proved 
an  impassable  barrier  to  the  operations  of  the  hostile  armies. 
Sliding  down  the  bank  into  the  dry  watercourse,  he  chose  out 
five  smooth  pebbles  from  those  that  lay  at  his  feet,  put  them 
into  his  wallet,  and  climbing  up  the  other  side,  stood  in  the 
presence  of  his  gigantic  adversary.  Goliath  despised  his  youth- 
ful opponent,  and  vaunted  his  certain  victory,  cursing  David  by 
his  God  and  defying  Jehovah  to  save  him  from  death.  The 
young  champion  retorted  by  expressing  his  sure  trust  in  the 
God  of  Israel,  and  his  confidence  that  He  was  with  him,  and 
would  give  victory  into  his  hand.  Then  ere  the  giant  could  come 
to  close  combat,  he  slung  one  stone  with  so  true  an  aim,  that  it 
struck  the  Philistine  on  the  forehead  beneath  the  helmet,  there 
being  no  visor  to  protect  the  face,  and  he  fell  stunned,  if  not 
dead,  prone  on  the  ground.  To  make  all  sure,  David,  on  seeing 
his  enemy  fall,  ran  up  with  all  speed,  and  taking  the  giant's 
sword,  slew  him  therewith,  and  cut  off  his  head.  The  combat 
had  been  watched  with  the  keenest  interest  by  the  two  armies, 
and  when  the  champion  was  overthrown  dire  consternation 
filled  the  breasts  of  the  Philistines,  while  the  Israelites  were 
animated  with  the  wildest  exultation.  They  rushed  down  the 
hill  into  the  valley,  crossed  the  ravine  without  opposition,  and 
formed  on  the  other  side  unchecked.  The  Philistines,  utterly 
demoralized  by  the  unexpected  death  of  their  great  warrior, 
turned  and  fled  without  striking  a  blow.  It  was  not  a  battle, 
but  a  pursuit  and  a  slaughter,  that  ensued.  The  fugitives  fled 
down  the  valley  of  Elah  in  wild  disorder  till  they  came  to  its 
mouth,  where  they  separated,  some  taking  refuge  in  Gath,  a 
frontier  fortress  standing  on  its  lofty  chalk  cliff  above  the  road  that 
led  to  the  highlands,  others  turned  north  to  Ekron,  and  hardly 
made  their  escape  good,  being  followed  to  the  very  gates  by 
their  pursuers.*  The  camp  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Israelites, 
and  enriched  them  with  great  spoils   and  a  goodly  supply  of 


*  "  By  the  way  to  Shaaraim,"  in  the  English  and  Latin  versions  ;  but  "  in 
the  way  of  the  gates  "  in  the  Sept.  ;  and  this  seems  most  correct.  There 
was  a  town  of  this  name  belonging  to  Judah  (Josh.  xv.  36)  in  the 
Shephelah,  identified  with  Sakariya,  three  miles  north-west  of  Socoh,  and 
five  miles  south-east  of  Azekah. 


A   SUCCESSOR   ANOINTED.  167 

arms.  The  carnage  was  very  great ;  according  to  Josephus,' 
thirty  thousand  Philistines  were  slain,  and  twice  that  number 
wounded.  We  are  not  to  suppose  that  all  this  was  the  work  ot 
one  day,  as  the  wording  of  the  account  seems  to  suggest ;  rather 
it  probably  occupied  some  months,  and  was  followed  by  many 
other  expeditions,  the  final  results  being  such  as  the  history 
states.  On  returning  from  the  fight,  David  was  brought  before 
Saul,  carrying  in  his  hand  the  gory  head  of  Goliath,  the  grim 
trophy  of  his  victory.  And  the  king,  naturally  anxious  to  know 
more  about  the  young  hero,  and  of  what  family  was  the  man 
to  whom  he  had  virtually  promised  his  daughter  in  marriage, 
asked  him  whose  son  he  was.  David  told  him  that  his  father 
was  Jesse  the  Bethlehemite.  Saul  was  favourably  struck  with 
the  young  hero  ;  his  beauty  of  countenance,  his  gallant  bearing, 
greatly  affected  the  impressionable  monarch  ;  he  felt  kindly 
towards  him,  and  engaged  his  services  from  that  day  forward, 
appointing  him  an  armour-bearer  or  aide-de-camp.  The  spoils 
of  the  slain  giant  were  at  David's  disposal.  The  arms  he  took 
to  his  own  home  at  Bethlehem,  afterwards  depositing  them  as 
trophies  in  the  tabernacle  at  Nob,  where  we  hear  of  the  sword 
at  a  later  crisis.  The  head  he  reserved  till  he  could  place  it 
where  it  might  be  a  permanent  memorial  of  the  power  of  faith 
in  Jehovah.  Such  an  asylum  was  found  for  it  in  Jerusalem 
when  the  citadel  was  taken,  and  the  tabernacle  erected  there.^ 
At  this  interview  between  Saul  and  David  there  was  one 
present  who  was  fully  capable  of  appreciating  the  noble 
character  of  the  young  warrior,  and  rejoicing  in  his  success. 
This  was  Jonathan,  the  brave,  generous,  steadfast  son  of  Saul. 
As  David  answered  the  king's  questions,  and  displayed  his 
modesty,  courage,  sublime  faith,  and  wisdom,  a  feeling  of  intense 
affection  for  this  youth  arose  in  Jonathan's  breast  ;  as  the  sacred 
writer  expresses  it,  "the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit  with  the  soul 
of  David,  and  Jonathan  loved  him  as  his  own  soul."  The 
friendship  then  begun  never  wavered,  was  never  darkened  for  a 
moment ;  it  continued  unimpaired  by  envy  or  jealousy  till  the  last. 

«  *' Antiq.  '*  vi.  9.  5. 

•  I  Sam.  xvii.  54  is  proleptical,  the  writer  desiring  to  complete  the 
history  of  the  giant's  spoils  before  proceeding  to  other  matters.  Some 
commentators  think  that  the  head  was  deposited  with  the  sword  at  Nob, 
which  is  loosely  called  "Jerusalem  "  as  being  in  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood. 


CHAPTER  XL 
SAUL'S  JEALOUSY  AND  MANIA. 

Saul  is  jealous  of  David— Progress  of  his  malady— Saul  threatens  David's 
life — Employs  him  on  military  expeditions  —Gives  him  his  daughter  in 
marriage  on  condition  of  his  slaying  one  hundred  Philistines— Plots 
against  his  life — Relents  for  a  while  at  Jonathan's  intercession — Soon 
resumes  his  evil  purpose — Tries  to  kill  David — David  saved  by  Michal 
— Flees  to  Samuel  at  Ramah — Saul  sends  to  arrest  him — Naioth — The 
messengers  prophesy — Saul  goes  himself  to  Ramah  and  prophesies. 

The  war  with  the  Philistines  was  not  ended  by  the  defeat  that 
followed  the  death  of  Goliath.  Military  operations  were  con- 
tinued for  some  months,  during  all  which  time  David  waxed 
higher  and  higher  in  favour  with  Saul  and  the  people  ;  so  wisely 
and  successfully  did  he  treat  all  matters  committed  to  his  care, 
that  Saul  gave  him  a  position  of  trust  as  one  of  the  com- 
manders of  his  army.  But  a  circumstance  soon  occurred  to 
rouse  the  king's  jealousy,  which  was  never  afterwards  set  at 
rest,  but  was  always  ready  to  burst  out  into  open  violence, 
especially  when  he  was  suffering  from  attacks  of  his  malady. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  campaign,  Saul  with  David  and  the 
army  returned  home  in  triumph,  having  for  the  time  quite 
restored  the  supremacy  of  Israel.  To  this  unparalleled  success 
David  had  chiefly  contributed  by  his  military  skill  and  personal 
prowess  proved  on  many  different  occasions.  The  people  were 
not  slow  to  recognize  this.  It  was  not  alone  as  the  conqueror 
of  the  giant  Goliath  that  they  received  him.*      He  had  won 

*  Our  version  of  i  Sam.  xviii.  6  gives  :  "  when  David  returned  from 
the  slaughter  of  the  Philistine"  ;  but  we  should  read  "  Philistines,"  or  take 
the  singular  in  a  generic  sense  ;  as  it  is  clear  from  the  sequence  of  events 


SAUL'S  JEALOUSY  AND  MANIA.  1 69 

highest  praise  in  many  an  engagement  since  then,  and  his 
reputation  had  risen  rapidly  as  time  went  on,  so  that  he  soon 
bade  fair  to  edipse  the  fame  of  the  king  himself.  On  the  final 
return  of  the  expedition,  the  women  came  forth  from  the  cities 
to  meet  them  with  singing  and  dancing,  and  other  signs  of 
rejoicing.  They  bore  cymbals  and  triangles,  and  as  they  per- 
formed the  usual  solemn  dance,  they  sang  antiphonally  a  song 
of  victory,  of  which  the  refrain  was  : 

••  Saul  hath  slain  his  thousands, 
And  David  his  ten  thousands." 

Saul  could  not  listen  to  this  unmoved.  He  had  not  forgotten  his 
deposition  from  the  kingdom  announced  by  the  mouth  of  Samuel, 
and  the  substitution  in  his  place  of  one  worthier  than  he.  He 
had  often  thought  over  this  prospect  with  gloomy  discontent, 
and  looked  out  for  signs  that  might  announce  his  supplanter  or 
successor.  The  years  that  had  passed  since  that  fatal  intima- 
tion was  given  had  not  lessened  his  dread  of  the  future,  This 
foreboded  dethronement  preyed  heavily  upon  his  mind,  and 
increased  his  distemper.  What  if  this  shepherd  hero  were  the 
king  destined  by  Jehovah  to  take  the  place  which  he  had  for- 
feited? This  darling  of  the  people  might  well  be  the  rival 
who  was  to  eject  him  and  his  race  from  the  throne.  This  David 
had  stood  forth  as  champion  for  Israel  when  all  the  mighty  men 
of  the  army  crouched  in  terror ;  this  stripling  had  prospered  in 
every  fight,  and  won  the  hearts  of  all  with  whom  he  served ; 
so  exalted  was  his  fame  in  the  country,  that  the  people  in  their 
ode  of  victory  reckoned  him  at  ten  times  the  worth  of  his  king 
and  superior.  *'  And,"  asked  Saul  in  jealous  indignation,  "  what 
can  he  have  more  but  the  kingdom?"  Henceforward  he  re- 
garded David  with  mixed  feelings  of  hatred  and  love.  The  old 
magnanimity  which  he  had  showed  towards  enemies  in  his 
early  days  had  been  ruined  by  years  of  brooding  and  discon- 
tent, and  the  evil  temper  to  which  he  had  given  way  at  times 
utterly  displaced  the  old  affection  for  the  gallant  friend  and 
soothing  minstrel,  and  left  nothing  in  its  place  but  a  feeling  of 
rancorous  envy  and  jealousy.     As  the  writer  impressively  says, 

that  the  fall  of  Goliath  is  not  intended,  but  the  great  success  that  had 
attended  David's  military  expeditions  against  the  Philistines  while  occu- 
pying a  chief  position  in  the  army  of  Saul. 


170  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

alluding  to  the  supposed  elTect  of.  an  evil  eye,  "  Saul  eyed  David 
from  that  day  and  forward."  Giving  himself  up  to  this  wicked 
passion,  when  he  saw  himself,  as  he  thought,  put  in  slighting 
comparison  with  his  servant,  he  is  said  to  have  been  mightily 
troubled  with  an  evil  spirit  from  the  Lord.  This  was  a 
messenger  of  God,  allowed  to  hold  sway  over  him  and  execute 
the  Divine  judgment  upon  his  soul.  He  was  left  to  his  own 
wilfulness,  and  evil  had  undisputed  control  in  his  diseased 
mind.  His  intellect  gave  way  under  the  working  of  this 
)  morbid  passion,  and  a  new  phase  of  frenzy  developed  itself. 
/  No  longer  merely  brooding,  moody,  melancholy,  he  has  become 
»^  violent  and  murderous;  his  thoughts  were  of  homicidal  tend- 
ency ;  his  utterances  incoherent.  Acting  like  a  man  possessed 
by  an  influence  stronger  than  his  own  will,  "  he  prophesied  "  ; 
inspired,  as  it  were,  but  by  no  good  spirit,  he  spake  words  of 
which  he  knew  not  the  meaning,  and  which  seemed  to  the  by- 
standers the  ravings  of  a  maniac.  Hurriedly  they  called  for 
David  that  he  might,  as  aforetimes,  soothe  the  king's  troubled 
spirit.  And  David  played  with  his  accustomed  skill,  but  not 
with  the  usual  effect.  The  evil  spirit  in  Saul  was  too  potent, 
had  been  too  freely  welcomed,  to  be  exorcised  by  such  gentle 
means.  Music  had  lost  its  power,  but  the  minstrel  would  not 
easily  desert  his  post,  while  there  was  hope  of  benefiting  the 
raving  monarch.  Frenzied  beyond  control,  Saul  brandished  his 
javelin,  which  he  carried  as  a  symbol  of  his  regal  authority, 
threatening  to  hurl  it  at  David,  as  he  struck  his  harp.  Twice 
he  aimed  the  deadly  weapon  at  the  musician,  and  twice  he 
withheld  his  murderous  hand,  or  David  escaped  in  time  from 
his  presence,  or  the  attendants  restrained  the  furious  king.  But 
this  impunity,  added  to  the  high  repute  of  David,  only  aug- 
mented the  king's  malady.  He  saw  in  all  this  the  Lord's  hand  ; 
but  this  conviction,  instead  of  leading  him  to  acquiesce  in  the 
present  circumstances,  and  to  recognize  the  inexpediency  of 
attempting  to  remove  the  youth  who  had  served  him  so  well  and 
faithfully,  only  made  him  hate  him  more,  and  even  fear  him 
greatly.  David  did  not  withdraw  himself  from  the  court;  he 
counted  the  animosity  exhibited  as  a  sign  of  the  king's  diseased 
slate  of  mind,  and  did  not  resent  it.  Saul,  however,  even  in  his 
saner  moments  could  not  endure  the  continual  presence  of  one 
whom  he  considered  a  rival,  and  whom  he  felt  himself  powerless 
to  injure,  while  he  CDiild  not  but  acknowledge  the  high  qualities 


SAUL'S  JEALOUSY   AND   MANIA.  171 

which  had  gained  the  affection  of  the  whole  army  ;  he  there- 
fore freed  himself  from  this  constant  source  of  irritation  by 
giving  David  a  command  of  a  thousand  men,  and  employing 
him  on  military  expeditions.  In  this  capacity  the  latter  con- 
ducted himself  so  well  that  everything  prospered  in  his  hands  ; 
Israel  and  Judah,  the  northern  and  southern  tribes  alike,  gladly 
put  themselves  under  his  leadership,  and  loved  him  universally. 
His  promotion  could  not  be  prevented,  but  it  was  gall  and  worm- 
wood to  Saul  to  consent  to  his  advancement.  What  he  was 
forced  to  do  he  did  ungraciously,  slighting  David's  claims  as  far 
as  he  dared.  The  king  had  promised  to  give  his  daughter  in 
marriage  to  the  warrior  who  should  overcome  the  Philistine 
champion  Goliath  ;  he  felt  constrained  to  acknowledge  this 
obligation,  hoping  thereby  to  find  some  means  of  destroying 
him  by  using  his  zeal  against  the  enemies  of  his  country.  So 
he  now  offered  David  his  eldest  daughter  Merab,  on  condition 
that  he  fought  valiantly  in  the  wars  of  Jehovah,  thinking  all 
the  time  that  he  might  thus  be  emboldened  to  enter  upon  rash 
adventures  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  But  Saul  did  not  keep  his 
promise.  Either  he  hoped  that  David  would  have  fallen  a 
victim  to  his  warlike  zeal  before  the  nuptials  could  be  com- 
pleted, or  with  the  inconstancy  of  a  tyrant  simply  changed  his 
mind  ;  at  any  rate  he  gave  Merab  in  marriage,  not  to  David, 
but  to  Adriel,  of  Abel-Meholah,  who  perhaps  had  offered  a  large 
dower  in  return  for  the  honour.  The  five  sons  who  were  the 
offspring  of  this  marriage  were  given  over  to  the  vengeance  of 
the  Gibeonites  in  requital  of  Saul's  unrighteous  attack  upon 
them.*  Merab  had  never  loved  David  ;  but  Michal,  the  second 
daughter,  conceived  a  violent  affection  for  him,  and  showed  her 
preference  plainly.  Saul  was  pleased  when  he  heard  of  this. 
It  offered  a  means  of  keeping  his  promise  and  of  atoning  for 
his  mean  conduct  in  the  former  case,  while  the  condition 
which  he  thought  of  imposing  afforded  good  hope  of  ridding 
himself  of  his  enemy.  But  he  was  not  at  all  sure  that  David 
would  now  accept  the  position  offered.  The  latter  had  ex- 
perienced the  king's  fickleness  and  duplicity,  and  might  not  be 
willing  to  fall  into  the  snare  the  second  time.  Saul  saw  at 
once  a  way  to  secure  his  evil  purpose.  He  told  his  servants 
to  let  David  know  that  he  required  no  dower  at  his  hands,  but 

«  2  Sam.  xxi.  8,  where  the  name  Michal  instead  of  Merab  has  crept  into 
the  text. 


172  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

only  proof  that  he  had  slain  a  hundred  of  his  enemies,  the 
Philistines.  This  condition  fell  in  well  with  David's  warlike 
spirit.  He  never  stopped  to  consider  what  might  be  Saul's  in- 
sidious purpose  in  this  demand,  but  at  once  proceeded  to 
execute  it.  There  may  have  been  war  going  on  at  this  moment 
with  the  Philistines  ;  but  in  that  age  no  excuse  was  needed  for 
sudden  attacks  upon  enemies.  Power  and  opportunity  were 
the  only  factors  considered  ;  the  cruelty  and  injustice  of  such 
an  action  were  never  regarded.  David  set  out  with  his  men, 
made  a  sudden  incursion  into  the  Philistine  territories,  and  ere 
the  time  fixed  for  the  delivery  of  the  dowry  had  expired  he 
returned  victorious,  bringing  with  him  proofs  of  the  slaughter 
of  more  than  the  stipulated  number,  which  "  they  gave  in  full 
tale  to  the  king."*  Saul,  the  condition  being  satisfied,  and  his 
malicious  intention  having  failed,  could  no  longer  delay  the 
marriage  with  Michal,  and  David  became  his  son-in-law.  But 
this  new  tie  between  them  only  increased  Saul's  unreasonable 
hatred.  He  could  not  doubt  that  the  Lord  was  with  David, 
and  protected  him  in  all  dangers  ;  or,  if  he  recognized  not  God's 
hand  in  his  deliverance,  he  looked  on  David  as  one  of  those 
lucky  persons  who  were  always  successful,  and  against  whom 
it  was  useless  to  plot.  The  close  relationship  with  the  king 
had  added  to  David's  influence,  and  made  it  impossible  to 
punish  him  openly.  Besides  this,  the  consciousness  that 
Michal  loved  her  husband,  and  would  use  every  exertion  to 
screen  him  from  her  father's  machinations,  embittered  his  feel- 
ings and  turned  his  home  affection  into  poison.  How  different 
might  events  have  turned  out  if  the  unhappy  king  had  only  ac- 
cepted the  situation  and  recognized  the  hand  of  Providence  in 
the  guidance  of  affairs  1  Here  was  the  man  destined  to  occupy 
his  place  admitted  to  his  family  ;  the  change  of  dynasty  was 
nothing ;  his  daughter's  husband  might  naturally  be  chosen 
as  his  successor ;  thus  he  would  conciliate  the  good  will  of 
the  people,  satisfy  the  affection  of  his  son  and  daughter,  and 
bind  David  to  himself  by  the  ties  of  gratitude  and  love.  But 
no,  he  persisted  in  his  rancorous  animosity,  and  David's  con- 
tinued success  added  fuel  to  the  flame  that  consumed  him. 
Saul  was  now  completely  mastered  by  passion.     His  jealous 

*  Vulg. :  *'Et  percussit  ex  Philistiim  ducentos  viros,  et  attulit  eorum 
praeputia,  et  annumeravit  ea  regi."  Josephus  ("  Antiq."  vi.  la  3)  makes 
David  return  with  six  hundred  heads  of  Philistines. 


SAUL'S  JEALOUSY  AND   MANIA.  173 

hatred  burst  all  control  ;  he  even  dared  openly  to  speak  to 
Jonathan  and  his  attendants  of  his  intention  to  kill  David  at 
the  first  favourable  opportunity.*  He  expatiated  on  the  pre- 
sumption of  this  young  man,  on  his  dangerous  popularity  with 
the  army,  on  his  traitorous  intention  of  setting  up  a  claim  to  the 
throne,  and  supplanting  the  present  dynasty.  He  tried  to 
deceive  himself  and  his  hearers  by  showing  that  his  death 
was  an  absolute  necessity,  a  measure  of  precaution  which,  how- 
ever painful,  must  be  taken  for  state  reasons.  He  had  silenced 
all  better  feelings,  overridden  misgivings,  familiarized  himself 
with  the  thought  of  crime,  so  that  nothing  could  any  longer 
check  his  murderous  impulse.  But  David  had  a  friend  at  court 
who  saw  his  danger  and  warned  him  of  it.  Jonathan,  the 
gallant,  the  upright  son  of  a  perverse  father,  knew  that  there 
was  many  an  unscrupulous  courtier,  who,  after  such  an  avowal 
on  their  sovereign's  part,  would  be  only  too  ready  to  help  him 
get  rid  of  this  obnoxious  subject.  Jonathan,  animated  not 
only  by  love  of  his  friend,  but  by  true  patriotism,  warned  David 
of  his  danger,  bidding  him  hide  himself  awhile  until  he  had 
sounded  his  father,  and  tried  to  turn  him  from  his  evil  purpose. 
Then  he  talked  calmly  with  the  morbid  tyrant,  reminded  him 
of  David's  services,  and  of  the  great  relief  which  he  had  him- 
self felt  at  the  youth's  success,  and  implored  him  not  to  be 
guilty  of  shedding  innocent  blood.  Saul,  ever  fickle,  and  still 
capable  of  generous  emotions,  relents  at  this  intercession,  and 
swears  an  oath  that  David's  life  should  be  spared  :  "  As  the 
Lord  liveth,  he  shall  not  be  slain."  Nothing  could  be  more 
solemn  than  such  an  asseveration.  Jonathan  was  thoroughly 
reassured,  and  gladly  communicating  to  David  his  father's  more 
favourable  disposition,  brought  his  friend  once  more  to  the 
king,  and  he  returned  to  his  old  footing  at  court.  This  re- 
conciliation lasted  some  time,  and  David  had  resumed  the 
terms  of  intimacy  to  which  he  had  risen  before  the  last  out- 
break, when  a  new  cause  awoke  the  king's  slumbering  jealousy 
to  still  greater  fury.  A  fresh  inroad  of  the  Philistines  was  re- 
pelled by  David  with  his  accustomed  vigour  and  success.  This 
raised  Saul's  envy  to  the  highest  pitch.     He  made  no  attempt 

«  The  translation  of   i  Sam.   xix.  i  in  A.V.  is  erroneous:  "spake  to 

Jonathan  .  .  .  that  they  should  kill  David."  It  ought  to  be,   "about 

killing  David,"  i.e.,  that  he  intended  to  kill  him.  So  the  Greek  and  Syriac 
versions. 


174  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

to  resist  the  evil  temper ;  he  encouraged  and  nurtured  his 
malicious  feelings,  and  was  given  over  to  the  dominion  of  his 
own  passions  ;  so  that  it  is  again  said  :  "  an  evil  spirit  from 
the  Lord  was  upon  him."  This  terrible  fit  of  insanity  was  a 
judicial  punishment  of  his  impenitence  and  hardness  of  heart. 
While  he  was  suffering  under  this  mania,  David  came  into  his 
presence  to  soothe,  if  it  might  be,  his  mad  excitement.  But  the 
time  for  such  influerice  had  passed  away  for  ever.  Here  was 
his  enemy  unarmed,  in  his  power  ;  should  he  not  avail  himself 
of  the  opportunity  and  crush  him  at  a  blow  ?  He  seized  his 
regal  spear,  and  giving  way  to  the  murderous  impulse,  hurled 
it  at  the  musician,  aiming  to  slay  him  as  he  stood.  David, 
keen,  watchful,  active,  saw  in  good  time  the  king's  intent, 
avoided  the  threatening  blow,  and  the  weapon  savagely  sped 
was  fixed  harmlessly  in  the  wall.  But  Saul,  now  inflexible  in 
purpose,  was  not  going  to  let  the  victim  escape.  David  fled  to 
his  own  home,  thinking  that  the  king  was  suffering  from  one 
of  his  usual  paroxysms,  and  that  when  this  was  over  he  would 
be  in  no  danger.  Saul,  however,  was  steadfastly  bent  on  his 
destruction  ;  he  had  his  house  carefully  watched  by  armed 
emissaries,  ordering  them  to  fall  upon  him  and  slay  him  when- 
ever he  might  come  abroad.  Josephus  *  deems  that  Saul  meant 
to  seize  him  and  bring  him  to  trial  as  a  traitor,  his  condemnation 
being  provided  for  ;  but,  lost  to  all  self-respect  as  the  unhappy 
monarch  now  was,  and  having  given  the  reins  to  his  murderous 
jealousy,  he  was  not  likely  to  attend  to  any  forms  of  law,  but 
was  sure  to  carry  the  matter  with  high-handed  tyranny.  By 
some  means,  perhaps  through  Jonathan's  information,  Michal 
became  aware  of  the  design  against  her  husband's  life  ;  and  as 
the  doors  were  carefully  watched,  she  let  him  down  with  cords 
from  a  window,  as  St.  Paul  was  delivered  at  Damascus,  and  he 
escaped  the  ambush.  That  he  might  have  time  to  get  away 
safely,  Michal  exerted  her  woman's  wit  to  delay  the  pursuit. 
She  sent  word  that  he  had  been  very  ill  in  the  past  night,  and 
was  still  lying  in  his  room  sick  and  unable  to  move,  making  good 
her  story  by  dressing  an  image  in  a  bed  to  represent  her  absent 
husband.  The  deceit  was  soon  discovered,  but  not  before  it 
^ad  answered  its  purpose. 

Meantime  the  fugitive,  seeing  that  the  court  was  no  longer  a 

■  "Antiq."  vi.  ii.  4. 


SAUL'S  JEALOUSY  AND  MANIA.  I75 

home  for  him,  made  his  way  to  his  old  friend  and  counsellor 
Samuel  at  Ramah.  The  prophet,  though  retired  from  active 
life,  still  retained  much  of  his  former  influence,  and  could  not 
only  give  David  advice  in  this  emergency,  but  also  offer  a  refuge, 
where  in  peace  and  prayer  he  might  calm  his  troubled  spirit  and 
find  strength  for  future  trials.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  his 
home  Samuel  had  erected  some  dwellings  (called  Naioth  in  our 
text)  for  the  use  of  the  students  whose  education  he  superin- 
tended. Here  they  lived  a  ccenobitical  life,  and  learned  the 
literary,  religious,  and  political  lessons  which  would  fit  them  to 
play  their  own  part  in  the  world  and  to  guide  others  aright. 
Received  into  this  communion,  David  was  for  a  time  secure. 
But  not  for  long.  Saul  was  soon  informed  where  David  had 
found  refuge,  and  regardless  of  the  sacredness  of  his  asylum, 
sent  messengers  to  arrest  him.  But  a  stronger  power  than  that 
of  the  tyrant  interposed  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  design. 
The  messengers  arrived  at  "  Naioth."  ;  there  was  no  attempt  to 
hinder  their  approach  ;  all  was  solemn,  peaceful,  religious.  They 
enter  the  public  hall,  and  what  do  they  see  "i  A  company  of 
reverent  students  ;  an  ample,  organized  choir  ;  a  band  of  trained 
prophets,  mature  in  age,  devout  in  aspect  ;  and  presiding  as 
leader  the  venerable  Samuel  himself,  far  advanced  in  years,  but 
hale  and  efificient  still— all  engaged  in  chanting  the  praises  of 
God,  and  in  their  enthusiastic  worship  utterly  fearless  of  the 
presence  of  these  armed  intruders.  Awe-struck  for  a  minute 
the  messengers  stood,  and  then  as  the  scene  and  its  surround- 
ings filled  their  imagination,  as  they  listened  to  the  noble  melody 
that  rose  from  the  lips  of  these  servants  of  God,  and  received 
into  their  souls  the  import  of  the  words  that  were  sung,  a  like 
enthusiasm  fired  their  breasts  ;  they  cast  aside  their  murderous 
purpose,  and  joined  in  the  service  with  heart  and  voice.  News 
of  this  proceeding  was  carried  to  Saul,  and  he  sent  other 
messengers  to  execute  his  will.  The  same  thing  occurred  a 
second  and  a  third  time.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon 
these  emissaries  ;  they  took  part  in  the  religious  exercise  which 
they  found  going  on,  whether  it  were  singing,  or  music,  or  danc- 
ing, or  recitation,  and,  forgetting  the  hostile  purpose  with  which 
they  had  set  out,  acted  in  all  respects  like  persons  who  were 
themselves  "sons  of  the  prophets."  At  this  frustration  of  his 
plans  Saul  was  greatly  enraged.^  He  had  long  done  despite  to 
*  So  Sept.,  I  Sam.  xix.  §2. 


176  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

his  conscience  ;  nothing  can  now  restrain  him  ;  he  will  violate 
the  sanctity  of  the  prophet's  dwelling,  break  into  the  hallowed 
asylum,  and  himself  lay  hands  on  the  offender.  He  immediately 
set  forth  for  Ramah  from  his  home  at  Gibeah.  Arriving  at  a 
place  which  tradition  still  pointed  out  when  the  account  was 
written,  but  which  is  not  accurately  identified — the  great  cistern 
in  Sechu^ — he  inquired  of  the  neighbouring  inhabitants  where 
Samuel  and  David  were  to  be  found.  He  was  told  that  they 
were  now  in  Naioth  of  Ramah,  and  proceeded  thither.  And  now 
a  wonderful  thing  happened.  The  spirit  of  prophecy  suddenly 
fell  upon  Saul  himself,  as  it  had  fallen  on  his  messengers,  and  he 
went  on  his  way  reciting  and  singing  in  a  state  of  the  wildest 
excitement.  As  soon  as  he  came  to  the  school,  he  stripped  him- 
self of  his  ornaments,  flung  aside  his  royal  robe,  and  attired 
only  in  his  inner  tunic,  rushed  into  Samuel's  presence,  chanting^ 
gesticulating,  dancing,  a  victim  to  religious  ecstasy.  What  was 
the  meaning  of  this  illapse  of  the  spirit  upon  such  a  man  at 
such  a  time  .'*  What  brought  about  this  change  in  the  moody 
king  ?  Even  if  we  regard  the  effect  as  nothing  supernatural,  we 
find  in  it  something  very  remarkable.  The  excitement  under 
which  he  had  long  been  labouring  had  culminated  in  conduct 
which  we  could  scarcely  have  anticipated.  The  thought  of 
meeting  with  his  own  estranged  friend  and  guide,  Samuel,  was 
one  element  in  his  excitement ;  the  feeling  of  vengeance  soon  to 
be  gratified  was  another.  Then  the  sight  of  Samuel  at  the  head 
of  the  school  of  prophets,  the  sound  of  the  strains  once  familiar 
to  his  ear,  recalled  that  earlier  scene  when  he  was  once  before 
similarly  affected  ;  he  seemed  to  be  back  in  the  old  days  and 
open  again  to  holy  influence  :  the  remembrance  overpowered 
him  ;  mastered  by  uncontrollable  emotion,  he  threw  himself  into 
the  present  circumstances  like  an  Eastern  fanatic,  till  exhausted 
by  his  feelings  and  bodily  actions  he  lay  like  one  dead  upon  the 
earth.  Did  this  extraordinary  ecstasy  mark  his  reprobation,  as 
the  former  had  accompanied  the  inauguration  of  his  reign  ?  Or 
was  it  a  last  merciful  pleading  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  heart,  a 
powerful  working  of  that  better  thing  within  him  to  lead  him  to 
repentance  and  amendment  before  it  was  too  late  ?  The  out- 
ward effects  were  visible  to  all  men,  and  occasioned  a  repetition 

'  It  is  supposed  to  be  Kurbet  Suweikeh,  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of 
Beeroth^     "Survey  Memoirs,"  iii.  pp.  52,  126. 


SAULS  JEALOUSY   AND   MANIA.  1 77 

and  confirmation  of  the  proverb  already  noticed  :  "  Is  Saul  also 
among  the  prophets  ?  "  If  it  was  formerly  a  marvel  that  one  so 
unlearned  and  untrained  as  Saul  should  be  found  among  the 
prophetic  band,  much  more  wonderful  was  it  now  that  one  who 
had  been  vexed  by  an  evil  spirit,  who  had  come  with  hostile 
intent  to  Ramah,  bringing  his  profane  wrath  and  murderous 
purpose  into  the  very  sanctuary,  should  experience  the  Divine 
afflatus  and  prophesy.  And  what  lessons  could  he  and  his  fol- 
lowers learn  from  this  occurrence  but  these.'* — that  God  holds  in 
His  hands  the  hearts  of  men  and  turns  them  as  He  wills  ;  that  the 
Lord  did  not  allow  the  destruction  of  David,  and  that  in  endea- 
vouring to  compass  it  they  were  fighting  against  God.  The 
transient  emotion  past,  Saul  forgot  the  lesson  ;  the  warning  took 
no  hold  of  his  fickle  will,  and,  being  disregarded,  added  to  the 
hardness  of  his  hearU 


X3 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SAUL'S  PERSECUTION  OF  DAVID. 

Saul's  intention  towards  David  tested  at  the  Festival  of  the  New  Moon ; 
proved  to  be  murderous— Jonathan  informs  David,  who  flees  to  Nob  ; 
is  received  and  fed  by  Ahimelech — Doeg  is  present ;  informs  Saul  of 
what  happened  there — Massacre  of  the  priests  at  Nob— Saul  pursues 
David  to  Ziph— Disaffection  in  the  land — Saul  nearly  entraps  David  at 
Maon — Is  spared  by  David  at  Engedi — Affected  by  David's  forbearance 
Saul  professes  reconciliation. 

The  occurrence  at  Ramah,  together  with  Saul's  trance  which 
lasted  a  day  and  night,  gave  David  time  to  escape  his  relentless 
enemy.  He  hastened  to  his  friend  Jonathan,  and  consulted  with 
him  as  to  the  course  which  he  should  take  under  present  circum- 
stances. A  partial  reconciliation  had,  as  it  seems,  been  made, 
probably  by  the  intervention  of  Samuel,  and  David  found  himself 
expected  to  resume  his  attendance  at  court ;  but  he  had  no 
guarantee  for  the  future,  and  his  life  hung  on  the  caprice  of  a 
fickle  tyrant.  Jonathan,  indeed,  endeavoured  to  believe,  and  to 
persuade  his  friend,  that  his  father's  late  acts  were  to  be  attri- 
buted to  an  access  of  his  malady,  and  that  when  he  came  to 
himself  no  such  danger  was  to  be  feared.  David  was  not  con- 
vinced of  this.  Saul  had  had  no  personal  communication  with 
him,  had  not  assured  him  of  any  change  of  sentiment,  and  David 
naturally  feared  to  trust  himself  in  his  presence  after  the  late 
attempts  on  his  life.  A  test  of  the  king's  intentions  might  be 
easily  applied.  It  was  plain  that,  knowing  Jonathan's  love  for 
David,  Saul  would  not  impart  to  his  son  his  design  against 
David's  li.e  ;  but  his  feeling  mi^iht  be  discovered  in  another  way. 


SAUL'S   PERSECUTION   OF  DAVID.  1^9 

At  the  beginning  of  every  month,  the  day  of  the  new  moon  ' 
was  observed  as  a  rehgious  festival  by  all  good  Israelites,  and  by 
Saul  as  a  great  civil  festival  also,  on  which  he  gave  a  banquet, 
attended  by  his  family  and  the  chief  men  of  the  State.  David, 
the  king's  son-in-law  and  a  commander  in  his  army,  would  be 
expected  to  be  present  on  this  occasion.  If  he  absented  him- 
self, and  Saul  took  it  in  good  part,  no  danger  need  be  feared ;  if, 
on  the  contrary,  the  king  was  violently  incensed  at  his  absence, 
then  it  was  certain  that  recent  events  had  not  altered  his  feelings, 
and  that  he  was  still  resolved  on  extreme  measures.  In  this 
manner  the  question  was  to  be  settled. 

Saul  returned  from  Ramah  cured  of  his  frenzy  and  composed 
in  mind.  The  monthly  festival  came  round,  ushered  in  by  the 
blast  of  trumpets,  and  celebrated  with  the  customary  offerings 
and  sacrifices.  The  royal  feast  took  place  and  lasted  two  days. 
All  the  great  officers  were  there  arranged  in  due  order.  The 
king  was  in  the  seat  of  honour  next  the  wall  and  farthest  from 
the  door  ;  opposite  to  him  was  Jonathan,  and  at  his  side  sat 
Abner.  Saul  immediately  observed  that  David's  place  at  the 
table  was  vacant,  but  he  made  no  remark  at  the  moment,  think- 
ing that  there  was  a  reasonable  cause  for  his  absence.  But 
when  David  did  not  appear  on  the  second  day,  he  became 
suspicious  that  there  was  some  special  reason  which  kept  him 
away.  He  turned  to  Jonathan,  as  most  likely  to  know  David's 
movements,  and  asked  him  why  this  "son  of  Jesse,"  as  he  called 
him  in  derision  of  his  lowly  birth,  had  not  taken  his  place  for 
these  two  days.  Jonathan  answered,  as  he  and  his  friend  had  pre- 
viously concerted,  that  David  had  been  summoned  by  his  eldest 
brother,  acting  as  head  of  the  family,  to  a  public  sacrifice  at 
Bethlehem,  and  had  asked  permission  to  attend  it.  Such 
an  excuse,  whether  true  or  not  in  this  instance,  was  in  itself 
entirely  credible.  But  to  Saul's  suspicious  temper  the  excuse 
suggested  premeditation,  and  it  incensed  him  because  it 
deprived  him  of  an  opportunity  of  which  he  had  intended 
to  avail  himself.  At  this  feast,  surrounded  by  his  friends, 
and  supported  by  a  body  of  courtiers  who  had  slandered 
the  absent  hero  and  hoped  to  reap  benefit  by  his  deposition 
and  death,  the  king  had  fully  intended  to  carry  out  his  mur- 
derous design.     Was  he  to  be  frustrated  in  this  way,  and  that 

«  Numb.  X.  lo  :  xxviii.  ii  ff. 


l8o  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

with  the  privity  or  at  the  instigation  of  his  own  son  ?  He  fell 
into  violent  anger  when  he  heard  Jonathan's  answer.  "  Thou 
perverse  rebel,"'  he  cried,  "do  not  I  know  that  thou  hast  chosen 
the  son  of  Jesse  to  thine  own  shame,  and  to  the  confusion  of 
the  mother  that  bore  thee  ?  For  as  long  as  the  son  of  Jesse 
liveth  upon  the  ground,  thou  shalt  not  be  established  nor  thy 
kingdom.  Wherefore  now  send  and  fetch  him  unto  me,  for," 
he  adds,  casting  aside  all  disguise,  "he  shall  surely  die." 
Jonathan,  thinking  a  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath,  pleaded 
mildly  for  his  friend,  asking  what  he  had  done  that  he  should 
be  thus  condemned.  Saul,  seized  with  fury,  has  no  patience 
to  explain.  He  felt  that  David  was  plotting  against  him, 
endeavouring  to  supplant  the  friend  who  was  interceding  for 
him,  was  a  double-dyed  traitor  ;  and  he  was  incensed  beyond 
measure  at  his  son's  partizanship.  In  ungovernable  anger  he 
brandished  his  javelin  in  Jonathan's  face,  threatening  to  smite 
him  where  he  sat.  Such  an  insult  in  the  sight  of  the  assembled 
guests,  and  such  injurious  aspersions  cast  upon  his  innocent 
comrade,  Jonathan  could  not  endure.  With  a  fierce  and 
righteous  indignation  blazing  in  his  generous  heart,  he  rose 
quickly  from  the  table,  left  the  chamber,  and  appeared  no  more 
at  that  fatal  feast.  Nothing  remained  but  to  acquaint  David 
with  the  unhappy  result  of  the  concerted  experiment.  This  he 
proceeded  to  do  in  the  morning,  and,  as  David's  only  safety  lay 
in  immediate  flight,  the  two  friends,  with  many  tears  and 
poignant  regret,  took  leave  of  one  another,  and  Jonathan  re- 
turned to  the  city,  while  David  betook  himself  to  Nob.  Here 
he  was  received  by  Ahimelech,  the  high  priest,  who  fed  him  and 
his  followers  with  the  hallowed  shew-bread,  which  was  removed 
from  the  table  on  that  day,  and  gave  him  the  famous  sword  of 
Goliath  which  was  laid  up  as  a  trophy  in  the  tabernacle.     Un- 

» The  Authorized  Version  is:  "Thou  son  of  a  perverse  rebellious 
woman,"  and  the  translation  is  supported  by  the  consideration  that  in  the 
East  it  is  tlie  greatest  possible  insult  to  a  man  to  abuse  liis  mother.  But 
we  do  not  see  tlie  probability  that  Saul  would  speak  in  this  way  when  the 
reflection  would  fall  upon  his  own  wife  ;  nor  could  he,  as  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  verse,  have  vowed  that  even  Jonathan's  mother  would  be  ashamed 
of  him  for  his  treachery,  if  he  had  begun  by  calling  her  perverse  and 
rebellious.  The  expression  is  general,  and  has  notliing  to  do  with  family 
relations,  being  literally,  "sou  of  perversity  of  rebellion."  i.e.,  perverse, 
rebeUious  man. 


SAUL'S   PERSECUTION  OF  DAVID.  l8l 

fortunately,  one  of  Saul's  most  trusted  and  unscrupulous  servants, 
Doeg,  an  Edomite,  the  chief  of  the  royal  herdsmen,  was  present 
at  this  meeting.  It  is  strange  to  find  this  foreigner  employed 
in  the  service  of  the  king  of  Israel  and  highly  trusted  by  him, 
and  it  is  the  first  instance  of  such  a  thing  in  the  whole  history. 
He,  we  are  told,  was  "detained  before  the  Lord"  at  Nob,  an 
expression  capable  of  many  interpretations.  He  may  have  been 
a  proselyte  who  desired  to  be  admitted  into  the  community  of 
Israel,  and  was  then  receiving  religious  instruction  ;  or  he  may 
have  been  paying  some  vow,  or  engaged  in  some  ceremonial 
purification.  Some  have  thought  that  he  was  being  examined 
for  the  cure  of  leprosy,  others  that  he  had  committed  some 
trespass,  and  was  kept  in  close  seclusion  till  he  had  offered  the 
appointed  sacrifice.  Whatever  was  the  cause  that  brought  him 
there,  David  scented  danger  in  his  presence,  knew  that  he  was  a 
creature  of  Saul's,  and  would  be  sure  to  report  to  his  master 
what  he  had  seen  ;  so  he  made  no  stay  there,  but  fled  for  refuge 
to  some  safer  spot. 

Meantime  Saul's  whole  energies  were  now  directed  to  the 
capture  and  destruction  of  his  hated  son-in-law,  and  he  waited 
anxiously  for  news  about  his  movements.  He  heard  of  him  as 
taking  refuge  among  the  Philistines  at  Gath,  where  he  could 
not  follow  him,  then  as  having  secured  an  asylum  for  his  father 
and  mother  in  Moab,  whence  his  ancestress  Ruth  had  come,  and 
finally  that  he  had  been  joined  by  a  number  of  disaffected  people, 
and  was  now  somewhere  in  Jud;^a  at  the  head  of  a  disciplined 
band  of  several  hundred  men.  At  length  information  reached 
him  that  David  and  his  men  were  encamped  among  the  thickets 
of  Hareth,  a  place  now  known  as  Kharas,  that  lay  on  the  edge 
of  the  mountain-chain  of  Hebron,  some  three  miles  east  of 
Keilah,  on  the  road  between  Adullam  and  Hebron,  from  which 
it  is  ten  miles  distant  in  a  N.N.W.  direction.  As  soon  as  Saul 
heard  this,  he  convened  an  assembly  of  his  officers  and  ad- 
herents, men  chiefly  of  his  own  tribe  and  attached  to  him  by 
benefits  received  and  expected,  and,  seated  under  a  wide- 
spreading  tamarisk  tree,  made  a  warm  appeal  to  their  feelings 
as  loyal  and  grateful  subjects.  See  him  posted  on  the  height 
above  his  own  royal  city,  Gibeah,  leaning  on  his  spear,  the 
symbol  of  his  dignity,  the  valiant  company  arrayed  in  order 
around  him,  and  over  his  head,  and  forming  a  beautiful  canopy, 
the  feathery  branches  of  the  tamarisk,  not  as  in  our  climate, 


I  §2  SAMtJEL  AND  SAUt. 

a  mere  shrub  that  is  planted  in  maritime  places  because  in  its 
stunted  growth  it  can  endure  the  keen  wind  and  salt  spray  of 
the  ocean,  but  a  tree  as  large  as  an  oak,  a  most  grateful  shelter 
in  a  hot  climate.  "  Hear  now,  ye  Benjamites,"  he  cries,  "  will 
the  son  of  Jesse  give  every  one  of  you  fields  and  vineyards,  will  he 
make  you  all  captains  of  thousands  and  captains  of  hundreds ; 
that  all  of  you  have  conspired  against  me,  and  there  was  none 
that  disclosed  to  me  when  my  son  made  a  league  with  the  son 
of  Jesse?"  And  he  adds,  with  a  pathos  which  is  truly  affecting: 
"  There  is  none  that  is  sorry  for  me,  or  discloseth  unto  me  that 
my  son  hath  stirred  up  my  servant  against  me,  to  lie  in  wait,  as 
at  this  day."  What  could  the  officers  reply  to  this  appeal  ? 
The  openly  avowed  favouritism  which  had  secured  all  high 
posts  for  the  king's  tribesmen  had  not  answered.  Such  par- 
tiality had  begun  to  alienate  the  rest  of  Israel,  and  compara- 
tively few  followed  his  lead  during  the  latter  part  of  his  reign. 
If  he  could  bring  himself  to  believe  such  things  of  his  noble  son 
and  his  gallant,  trusty  son-in-law,  upon  whom  next  might  his 
suspicion  fall  ?  Who  might  be  the  next  victim  of  the  moody 
tyrant  .'*  While  all  were  silent,  the  unscrupulous  Doeg,  who 
was  present  at  the  meeting  and  who  took  pleasure  in  ministering 
to  his  lord's  vindictive  passions,  spoke  and  said  :  "  I  saw  the 
son  of  Jesse  coming  to  Nob,  to  Ahimelech,  the  son  of  Ahitub, 
and  he  inquired  of  the  Lord  for  him,  and  give  him  victuals,  and 
gave  him  the  sword  of  Goliath  the  Philistine."  By  this  malignant 
statement  Doeg  turned  suspicion  from  the  courtiers  to  the 
priests.  Saul  was  quite  ready  to  believe  that  they  were  in 
league  with  David,  and,  as  though  he  had  already  determined 
on  a  general  massacre,  he  sent  to  summon  Ahimelech  and  all 
the  priests  at  Nob  to  his  presence.  This  Ahimelech  was  the 
great-grandson  of  Eli,  and  had  succeeded  his  brother  Ahiah  in 
the  pontificate,  or  had  divided  the  office  with  him,  one  of  them 
accompanying  Saul  to  the  camp,  the  other  remaining  with  the 
ark  or  tabernacle.  It  was  no  great  distance  from  Gibeah  to 
Nob,  and  the  sacerdotal  family,  to  the  number  of  eighty-five, 
were  soon  in  Saul's  presence.  The  angry  monarch  reproached 
Ahimelech  with  treachery  and  with  conniving  with  David  in  his 
evil  designs,  recapitulating  Doeg's  three  charges,  that  he  had 
used  the  sacred  oracle  in  his  behalf,  which  was  never  employed 
but  at  the  king's  demand,  that  he  had  fed  the  fugitive  and  his 
followers,  and  that  he  had  given  him  the  giant's  sword.     Ahi- 


Saul's  persecution  of  david.  183 

melech  did  not  deny  the  charge.  He  had  done  indeed  as  the 
king  accused  him,  but  he  had  acted  in  the  innocence  of  his 
heart,  with  no  malign  intent,  and  quite  unaware  that  he  was 
thereby  incurring  Saul's  displeasure.  David,  he  said,  the  king's 
own  son-in-law,  the  most  faithful  of  all  his  servants,  one  who 
had  the  privilege  of  admission  to  the  royal  presence  at  any 
time,  had  come  to  him  at  Nob,  representing  that  he  was  engaged 
in  some  secret  service  for  the  king,  and  seeking  his  advice  and 
assistance.  "  Had  I  not  then  good  cause,"  asked  the  priest 
ingenuously,  "  to  inquire  of  God  for  him,  as  at  thy  own  request 
I  had  done  before  ?  ^  As  for  conspiring  against  thee,  God  forbid 
the  thought  !  I  have  done  all  in  perfect  good  faith.  Of  all 
that  thou  hast  charged  me  with  I  know  nothing  little  or  great." 
The  innocence  of  Ahimelech  and  the  other  priests  was  palpable ; 
his  exculpation  was  complete.  Not  so,  however,  in  Saul's  pre- 
judiced eyes.  He  and  his  were  all  traitors  together,  and  should 
meet  the  traitor's  doom.  His  only  answer  to  the  high  priest's 
defence  is  :  "  Thou  shalt  surely  die,  Ahimelech,  thou,  and  all 
thy  father's  house."  He  regards  them  as  dangerous  rebels, 
because,  as  he  chose  to  believe,  they  sided  with  David,  and  had 
not  informed  the  king  of  his  movements  ;  and  far  from  being 
deterred  from  vengeance  by  their  sacred  character,  he  is  the 
more  induced  to  deal  summarily  with  them  as  giving  example 
of  contumacy  in  high  place,  and  rendering  his  position  even 
more  insecure  than  he  had  deemed.  Among  their  attendants, 
Eastern  potentates  are  wont  to  have  some  who  run  by  their  side 
when  they  go  abroad,  and  act  as  an  escort.  Such  "runners" 
Saul  had  obtained  for  himself,  as  Samuel  had  foretold  (chap, 
viii.  11),  and  they  were  among  the  most  faithful  of  his  followers 
and  formed  his  body-guard.  Having  decreed  the  death  of  the 
innocent  priests,  the  king  ordered  these  "  footmen "  to  slay 
them.  But  this  ferocious,  cold-blooded  murder  was  something 
which  revolted  even  these  unscrupulous  adherents.  The  king's 
atrocious  conduct  had  weakened  discipline,  and  even  his 
authority  could  not  enforce  the  execution  of  this  bloody  ven- 
geance on  the  ministers  of  a  religion  which  all  professed  to 
observe.  They  stood  mute  at  the  command.  No  one  came 
forward  to  obey  this  barbarous  order.  The  high  priest  and  his 
servitors  were  in  their  eyes  the  representatives  of  Jehovah,  and 

*  This  seems  to  be  the  meaning  of  the  mucli  disputed  phrase  :   "  Have  I 
to-day  begun  to  inquire  of  God  for  him  ?  " 


l84  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

not  even  loyalty  to  the  sovereign  or  the  strong  feeling  of 
deference  to  the  head  of  their  clan,  could  induce  them  to  violate 
their  conscience  and  incur  the  guilt  of  sacrilege.  No  such 
scruples  affected  Doeg,  the  Edomite.  He  had  no  sympathy 
with  the  religious  aspect  of  the  matter.  To  keep  well  with  the 
king,  to  pander  to  his  passions,  to  maintain  his  own  position, 
and  to  enrich  himself — this  was  his  ambition  ;  and  when  Saul, 
enraged  at  the  disobedience  of  his  body-guard,  ordered  him  to 
execute  the  cruel  command,  he  and  his  servants,  foreigners, 
probably,  like  himself,  at  once  fell  upon  the  priests,  undeterred 
by  the  sight  of  their  sacerdotal  vestments,  and  murdered  them 
all  to  a  man.  Not  content  with  this  unparalleled  atrocity, 
worthy  of  a  Nero  or  Domitian,  Saul  extended  his  vengeance 
to  the  city  of  Nob.  Treating  it  like  a  city  of  idolaters  and 
accursed,  he  sent  Doeg,  who  smote  it  with  the  edge  of  the 
sword,  slaying  therein  men  and  women,  children  and  sucklings, 
oxen,  asses,  and  sheep,  leaving  nothing  alive  of  all  that  dwelt 
there,  save  Abiathar,  a  son  of  Ahimelech,  who  by  some  means 
escaped  from  the  general  slaughter,  and  fled  for  refuge  to 
David.  Thus  unconsciously  Saul  executed  the  judgment  of 
God  against  the  house  of  Eli.  It  was  an  inhuman  and  most 
impolitic  deed.  All  good  Israelites  were  horrified  at  the  crime. 
An  act  so  black  alienated  the  affection  of  his  most  devoted 
adherents.  Insanity  does  not  account  for  it;  there  was 
method  in  it.  Reasoning  from  his  own  nature,  Saul  could  not 
reaHze  David's  innocence  or  the  non-complicity  of  the  priests. 
Though  he  cared  little  for  the  restraints  of  religion,  and  never 
guided  his  heart  by  holy  motives,  he  liked  to  be  thought  to 
observe  the  externals  of  devotion  ;  and  when  the  spiritualty 
turned  against  him  he  was  furious,  and  at  once  made  a  terrible 
example  of  those  who,  as  he  fancied,  took  his  enemy's  side. 
He  had  set  himself  to  oppose  God  ;  he  refused  to  acquiesce  in 
the  selection  of  his  successor  ;  and  now  he  could  not  retrace 
his  steps ;  he  must  sink  daily  from  bad  to  worse ;  the  deteriora- 
tion of  his  character  went  on  continuously  ;  the  melancholy, 
morbid  king  became  a  ferocious,  despairing  tyrant,  without 
pity,  justice,  or  remorse.  Henceforward  his  one  object  is  to 
capture  David,  whom  he  fully  believed  was  only  prevented  by 
weakness  from  seizing  the  kingdom  from  him.  He  had  emis- 
saries always  on  the  watch  to  give  him  the  earliest  intelligence 
of  David's  movements,  that  he  might  entrap  him  in  some  dif- 


SAUL'S  PERSECUTION  OF  DAVID.  1 85 

ficult  situation  or  overwhelm  him  by  superior  numbers  in  more 
open  country. 

David  was  heard  of  at  Keilah,  a  town  on  the  hills  of  Judah, 
overlooking  the  valley  of  Elah,  about  six  and  a  half  miles  east 
of  Beit  Jibrin  (Eleutheropolis),  whither  he  had  gone  to  deliver 
it  from  the  hands  of  a  marauding  band  of  Philistines.  Saul 
rejoiced  to  hear  that  David  was  shut  up  in  a  town,  where  he  had 
friends  who  were  quite  ready  to  turn  against  their  deliverer, 
and  made  sure  of  his  capture.  But  before  he  could  take 
measures  to  secure  him,  David  left  the  place  and  roamed  whither 
Saul  could  not  successfully  follow  him.  The  evil  king  had 
deluded  himself  with  the  idea  that  Providence  was  on  his  side 
and  had  deserted  his  rival.  "God,"  he  cries,  "hath  delivered 
him  into  mine  hand."  But  he  reckoned  foolishly.  In  driving 
Abiathar  to  David's  side,  he  had  given  him  the  means  of 
inquiring  at  the  Divine  oracle ;  and  by  the  information  thus 
given,  David  was  saved  on  this  and  many  other  occasions. 

After  the  retreat  from  Keilah,  David  is  next  found  in  the 
wilderness  of  Ziph,  some  four  miles  south  of  Hebron  ;  and  here 
at  Horesh  (Khoreisa)'  he  had  his  last  interview  with  his  gallant 
friend  Jonathan,  who,  with  his  father,  was  encamped  in  the 
neighbourhood. 

Saul  possessed  some  thorough  partisans  among  the  Ziphites, 
and  they  were  always  ready  to  send  him  information  concerning 
David's  proceedings.  Why  they  were  so  hostile  to  David  we 
know  not.  There  may  have  been  some  ancient  feud  between 
them  and  the  family  of  Jesse ;  or  more  probably,  regarding 
Saul  as  the  legitimate  monarch  and  disinclined  to  discuss 
David's  claims,  they  simply  acted  as  loyal  subjects  and  dis- 
countenanced one  who  was  in  their  eyes  a  rebel  and  an  outlaw. 
They  now  send  intelligence  to  the  king,  who  was  in  his  house 
at  Gibeah,  that  David  was  concealed  in  the  hill  of  Hachilah 
(El-Kolah),  a  ridge  six  miles  east  of  Ziph,  from  which  it  is 
plainly  visible,  and  eight  miles  south-east  of  Hebron,  running 
towards  the  desert  that  extends  to  the  Dead  Sea.  It  is  a 
dreary,  desolate  region   of  chalky  ridges,   scored  by  winter 


*  The  English  versions  give  "in  a  wood."  But  the  soil  of  that  district, 
says  Conder  ("Tent  Work,"  ii.  89),  could  never  have  supported  a  growth  of 
trees  ;  and  the  word,  Horesh,  is  doubtless  the  name  of  a  town,  recovered  by 
Conder  in  Khoreisa,  about  two  miles  south  of  Ziph. 


1 86  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

torrents,  intersected  by  broad  valleys,  without  a  tree  in  all  the 
prospect  or  a  spring  of  water.  In  this  pathless  wilderness 
David  and  his  six  hundred  men  had  taken  refuge  ;  and  the 
Ziphites,  who  knew  the  country  well,  offered  to  guide  Saul's 
troops  in  the  pursuit  of  the  outlaw.  The  king  was  well  pleased 
to  be  thus  seconded  in  his  design.  In  his  melancholy  condition 
he  grasps  at  any  help,  at  any  thing  that  may  show  him  that  he 
has  sympathizers  and  that  he  is  not  left  alone  in  his  struggle 
against  his  enemy.  "  Blessed  be  ye  of  the  Lord,"  he  says  to 
them  ;  "for  ye  have  had  compassion  upon  me."  But  knowing 
David's  warlike  skill  and  prudence,  how  he  would  be  sure  to 
conceal  his  movements,  to  guard  against  surprise,  and  to  leave 
an  avenue  of  escape  wherever  he  might  be,  Saul  would  not 
commit  himself  to  the  pursuit  till  he  had  the  most  certain 
intelligence.  This  soon  reached  him,  and  he  at  once  followed 
his  guides  to  the  wilderness  of  Maon,  where  the  fugitive  was 
now  posted.  This  place,  now  called  Main,  only  about  six  miles 
from  Ziph,  lay  on  the  edge  of  the  Arabah,  that  singular  depres- 
sion which  extends  from  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth  to  the  Dead 
Sea  and  beyond.  Here,  hard  pressed  and  outnumbered  by 
Saul's  forces,  David  was  in  imminent  danger  of  capture.  The 
situation  has  been  accurately  examined  and  described  by  Con- 
der,'' who  writes:  ''Between  the  ridge  of  El  Kolah  (Hachilah) 
and  the  neighbourhood  of  Maon  there  is  a  great  gorge  called 
*  the  Valley  of  the  Rocks,'  a  narrow  but  deep  chasm,  impas- 
sable except  by  a  detour  of  many  miles,  so  that  Saul  might  have 
stood  within  sight  of  David,  yet  quite  unable  to  overtake  his 
enemy  ;  and  to  this  '  cliff  of  division '  {scla-havimahlekoth) 
the  name  Malaky  now  applies,  a  word  closely  approaching  the 
Hebrew  MaJilekoth.  The  neighbourhood  is  seamed  with  many 
torrent  beds,  but  there  is  no  other  place  near  Maon  where  cliffs 
such  as  are  to  be  inferred  from  the  word  sela  are  to  be  found." 
Seeing  David  before  him,  Saul  divided  his  forces  so  as  to 
intercept  the  foe  and  cut  off  all  hope  of  escape.  Thus,  although 
Saul  would  have  had  to  make  a  detour  of  some  miles  in  order 
to  get  round  the  gorge  at  either  end,  David's  final  escape  was 
very  problematical.  But  at  this  moment,  when  the  fate  of  the 
future  king  of  Israel  seemed  decided,  occurred  one  of  those 
interpositions  which  men  call  chance,  but  which  really  are  the 
effect  of  the  wise  ordering  of   Providence  which  makes  the 

'  "Tent  Work,"  ii,  91.  quoted  by  Dean  Payne  Smith. 


SAUL'S   PERSECUTION   OF  DAVID.  187 

passions  ana  plans  of  men  work  out  its  determined  counsels. 
A  messenger  suddenly  arrived  in  Saul's  presence  bringing  the 
news  that  the  Philistines  had  made  a  raid  into  the  neighbouring 
territory,  and  urging  him  to  hasten  with  all  his  forces  to  repel 
the  invasion.  This  information  could  not  be  neglected.  Private 
rancour  must  give  way  to  public  necessity.  Saul  let  David 
escape  this  time,  and  withdrew  his  troops  to  combat  with  the 
hereditary  enemy. 

No  sooner  had  Saul  returned  successfully  from  this  expedition 
against  the  Philistines  than  he  again  set  forth  in  pursuit  of 
David.  The  latter  had  been  tracked  by  the  Ziphites  to  the 
vicinity  of  Engedi,  "  Fountain  of  the  Goat,"  a  warm  spring, 
situated  about  the  centre  of  the  western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  some  five  hundred  feet  above  its  level.  This  fountain 
bursts  forth  in  a  copious  stream  from  a  narrow  platform  of  bare 
limestone,  and,  rushing  down  the  cliffs,  scatters  vegetation 
around,  so  as  to  form  an  oasis  which  is  one  of  the  most  striking 
features  of  that  otherwise  desolate  region.  The  cliffs  surmounting 
the  spring,  which  rise  to  the  height  of  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  as  well  as  those  that  lead  down  to  the  shore,  are  seamed 
with  ravines  which  are  full  of  caves,  even  now  used  as  sheep- 
cotes  as  they  were  in  David's  time.  Taking  with  him  three 
thousand  picked  soldiers,  Saul  followed  his  rival  into  this  wild, 
rocky  country.  Here  the  advantage  was  on  David's  side,  and 
had  the  monarch  had  a  more  unscrupulous  foe  to  deal  with,  he 
wouldhavehere  ended  his  career  andatoned  bydeathforhis  cruel 
persecution  of  the  guiltless  outlaw.  It  happened  that  while 
following  the  fugitive,  Saul  on  one  occasion,  for  privacy's  sake, 
entered  one  of  these  caves,  the  gloom  and  coolness  of  which 
offered  a  refreshing  contrast  to  the  glare  and  heat  of  the  bare 
rock  outside.  In  this  very  cave  David  and  a  part  of  his 
followers  were  concealed.  Looking  from  inside,  they  could  see 
perfectly  all  that  passed  at  the  entrance,  while  to  those  outside 
the  interior  of  the  cavern  was  enveloped  in  impenetrable 
darkness.  Saul  thought  that  the  place  was  empty,  or  if  he 
heard  any  whispering  or  movement  fancied  that  some  of  the 
shepherds  by  whom  it  was  usually  occupied  were  still  lurking 
there,  and  took  no  further  notice.  With  the  utmost  astonish- 
ment the  outlaws  beheld  this  arrival.  He  was  immediately 
recognized,  and  a  whispered  intimation  of  the  fact  was  made  to 
David,  and  he  was  urged  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity, 


l88  SAMUET-   AND  SAUL. 

to  rid  himself  by  one  blow  of  his  tyrannical  pursuer,  and  thus 
secure  the  kingdom  for  himself  as  it  had  been  promised.  If 
for  one  moment  the  wronged  youth  was  inclined  to  revenge  his 
many  injuries,  he  did  not  succumb  to  the  temptation.  Though 
he  held  in  his  hand  the  sword  of  Goliath,  and  his  followers 
were  eager  to  fall  upon  Saul,  he  restrained  them  and  himself. 
However  cruelly  Saul  had  behaved  to  him,  he  was  still  the 
Lord's  anointed,  his  person  was  sacred.  With  a  generosity 
unexampled  in  those  barbarous  days,  he  spared  his  great  rival's 
life  ;  at  the  same  time  he  wished  to  show  that  that  life  had  been 
in  his  power,  thus  proving  his  own  innocence  of  any  intention 
of  injuring  his  person,  and  refuting  the  slanders  of  the  courtiers 
who,  by  misrepresentation  of  his  motives,  fanned  the  embers  of 
the  king's  animosity.  On  entering  the  cave  Saul  had  laid  aside 
his  meily  the  costly  robe  which  he  wore,  and  David,  approaching 
silently  in  the  gloom,  cut  ofif  a  corner  of  it  unseen.  Saul  took 
up  the  injured  mantle  and  left  the  cavern.  David's  companions 
were  loud  in  complaint  against  their  leader's  ill-timed  leniency  ; 
but  far  from  feeling  with  them,  his  conscience  reproached  him 
for  having  failed  in  the  respect  due  to  the  king's  majesty,  and 
for  having  even  entertained  a  thought  of  injuring  him.  Watch- 
ing the  departure  of  the  Ibraelite  soldiers,  and  seeing  Saul  now 
almost  alone  in  their  rear,  David  came  forth  from  the  cave  and 
called  after  him  :  "  My  lord  the  king."  At  the  familiar  voice 
Saul  stopped  and  turned.  He  sees  David  on  the  rocky  platform, 
bowing  with  his  face  to  the  ground,  doing  lowly  obeisance, 
showing  himself  no  rebel  against  lawful  authority,  but  one  who 
recognized  in  the  monarch  the  personage  whom  he  was  bound 
to  obey  and  reverence.  And  then  he  addresses  Saul  in  touching 
words,  asking  why  he  listens  to  the  calumnious  insinuations  of 
his  enemies.  To-day  Providence  had  put  the  king  into  his 
power  ;  he  might  have  slain  him  with  the  greatest  ease  :  see, 
here  was  a  piece  of  the  king's  robe  which  he  had  cut  off  in  the 
cave  ;  the  sword  that  had  marred  his  mantle  might  have  drunk 
his  blood.  Why  should  the  monarch  of  Israel  pursue  with  this 
unrelenting  hatred  one  so  insignificant  and  powerless  as  he? 
let  the  king  learn  from  this  day's  adventure  that  he  was  utterly 
mistaken  in  attributing  to  him  guile  and  treason.  "  The  Lord 
be  judge,"  he  concludes,  "  and  give  sentence  between  me  and 
thee,  and  see,  and  plead  my  cause,  and  deliver  me  out  of  thine 
hand."     Saul  could  not  hear  this  appeal  unmoved.     David's 


SAUL'S   PERSECUTION   OF   DAVID.  189 

forbearance  and  his  own  surprising  escape  affected  him  keenly. 
In  spite  of  his  insanity  and  cruelty,  he  had  human  feehngs 
which  at  times  mastered  his  evil  passions.  And  now  he  was 
quite  overcome  by  mixed  emotions,  and  he  Hfted  up  his  voice 
and  wept.  Some  of  the  old  affection  returned ;  he  calls  him, 
"  My  son,  David,"  and  overpowered  by  the  generosity  which 
had  returned  good  for  evil,  prays  God  to  reward  him  for  the 
kindness  which  he  had  shown.  Knowing  that  he  himself  had 
forfeited  the  throne,  and  strongly  convinced  that  David  was 
that  neighbour  better  than  he  whom  Samuel  had  announced  as 
his  successor,  he  makes  a  request,  to  which  knowledge  of  the 
usual  proceedings  in  the  case  of  usurpers  gives  a  painful  signifi- 
cance.^ *'  I  know,"  he  says,  "  that  tl^.ou  shalt  surely  be  king, 
and  that  the  kingdom  of  Israel  shall  be  established  in  thine 
hand.  Swear  now  therefore  unto  me  by  the  Lord,  that  thou 
wilt  not  cut  off  my  seed  after  me,  and  that  thou  wilt  not  destroy 
my  name  out  of  my  father's  house."  The  generous  David  at 
once  gave  the  required  promise,  and  they  parted.  Saul,  for  a 
time  elevated  to  a  better  mind,  returned  to  Gibeah  and  ceased 
from  persecution;  while  David, unable  to  trust  the  lickle  tyrant, 
continued  to  haunt  the  hill  country  where  he  had  before  found 
refuge. 

*  See  1  Kings  xv.  29  ;  xvi.  11.^  2  Kings  x.  7,  ir. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  DEATH   OF  SAMUEL. 

Samuel  dies — His  funeral  and  tomb— His  services  to  Israel — His  character — 
His  difficulties — His  accomplished  work. 

It  was  soon  after  the  events  narrated  in  the  last  chapter  that 
Samuel,  of  whose  later  years  we  have  no  account,  was  called 
away.  One  verse  tells  us  of  his  death  and  burial,  the  reticence 
of  Scripture  in  such  cases  being  noted.  Here  is  the  sole  record  : 
"  Samuel  died  ;  and  all  Israel  gathered  themselves  together, 
and  lamented  him,  and  buried  him  in  his  house  at  Ramah" 
(i  Sam.  XXV.  i).  He  had  arrived  at  a  good  old  age  ;  his  work 
was  done  ;  the  time  for  his  reward  had  arrived.  "  So  He  giveth 
His  beloved  sleep."  Though  of  late  he  had  hved  in  retirement 
and  had  taken  no  part  in  public  affairs,  yet  his  death  was  felt 
as  a  public  calamity,  and  all  Israel,  forgetting  its  rivalries  and 
contentions,  remembering  only  the  mighty  benefits  he  had  con- 
ferred upon  the  nation,  his  unblemished  life,  his  personal  piety, 
assembled  as  one  man  to  do  him  honour.  "  His  moral  excel- 
lence," says  Josephus,^  "  and  the  esteem  with  which  he  was 
regarded,  are  proved  by  the  continued  mourning  that  was  made 
for  him,  and  the  concern  that  was  universally  shown  to  conduct 
the  funeral  rites  with  becon  n  ;  splendour  and  solemnity.  He 
was  buried  in  his  own  native  place,  and  they  wept  for  him  very 
many  days,  not  regarding  it  as  the  death  of  another  man  or  a 
stranger,  but  as  that  in  which  each  individual  was  concerned. 
He  was  a  righteous  man,  and  of  a  kindly  nature,  and,  on  that 

*  "  Antiq."  vi.  13.  5. 


THE  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL.  I9I 

account,  very  dear  to  God."  Such  a  public  ceremony  could 
hardly  have  taken  place  without  the  concurrence  of  Saul ; 
probably  he  was  foremost  in  doing  honour  to  the  prophet  when 
dead,  whose  counsel  he  had  so  grievously  neglected  while  living.* 
Some  have  thought  that  in  a  tardy  burst  of  zeal,  and  feeling  how 
much  he  had  lost  in  the  decease  of  his  early  friend,  he  tried  to 
recover  the  favour  of  Jehovah  by  taking  severe  measures  against 
offenders.  Hence  they  refer  to  this  time  the  overthrow  of 
idolatry  throughout  the  land,  the  destruction  of  wizards  and 
necromancers,  and  the  slaughter  of  the  Gibeonites  as  enemies 
of  the  religion  of  Israel.  Samuel  was  buried  in  the  court  or 
garden  of  his  house  at  Ramah  ;  not,  of  course,  in  the  house 
itself,  as  that  would  have  occasioned  the  place  to  be  ceremo- 
nially unclean.  Moslem  tradition  places  the  prophet's  tomb  on 
the  conspicuous  ridge  of  Neby  Samwil,  where  is  a  mosque  built 
on  the  foundations  of  an  old  Christian  church.  Jerome  ^  asserts 
that  his  remains  were  transported  A.D.  406  to  Chalcedon  (Kadi- 
Keni),  at  the  entrance  of  the  Bosphorus,  and  from  thence,  ac- 
cording to  Callistus,3  were  transferred  to  Constantinople,  and 
deposited  in  a  church  with  great  pomp.  There  was  nothing  un- 
usual in  the  original  place  of  his  burial.  Where  there  were  no 
regular  cemeteries,  any  suitable  spot  might  be  selected  for  a 
grave.  King  Manasseh  is  said  to  have  been  buried  in  the 
garden  of  his  house  ;  so  Joab  was  interred,  and  our  blessed 
Lord's  sepulchre  was  in  a  garden."* 

Well  may  the  whole  nation  have  mourned  the  loss  of  their 
great  judge  and  prophet.  Think  what  he  was  in  himself,  what 
he  had  done  for  them.  Conspicuous  in  a  rough,  uncultured 
age,  he  stands  forth  as  a  witness  for  God  and  religion  and  edu- 
cation. Since  Moses,  none  so  eminent  had  arisen.  The  child 
of  prayer,  he  is  especially  the  man  of  prayer.  A  stainless  boy- 
hood passed  in  the  tabernacle  of  God,  and  amid  the  solemnities 
of  holy  worship,  prepared  him  for  reception  of  heavenly  inspira- 
tions. Severed  from  the  outward  world,  parted  even  from  the 
influence  of  domestic  affections,  he  gives  himself  wholly  to  God 
and  his  country.   He  communes  with  the  unseen,  seeks  no  guide 

»  Hummelauer  on  i  Sam.  xxviii.  3. 

•  "  Cont.  Vigil."  ii.  243  (Migne). 

3  '<  Hist.  Eccl."  xiv.  10.      Gibbon,  "  Decline  and  Fall,"  ch.  xxviii. 

*  2  Kings  xxi.  18  ;  2  ChrQU^  y.x.xii,i.  20  ;  ^  Kings  ii.  34  ;  John  xix.  41. 


192  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

but  the  will  of  God,  has  no  law  but  the  law  of  the  Most  High. 
He  is  absorbed  in  his  intercourse  with  heaven,  and  outward  cir- 
cumstances affect  him  but  little.  He  began  well,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  the  same  path  unto  the  end  ;  he  had  set  one  great  end 
before  him  and  pursued  it  unflinchingly,  undeterred  by  diffi- 
culties, and  entirely  uninfluenced  by  personal  motives.  His 
great  strength  was  prayer  ;  here  was  his  refuge,  his  weapon,  his 
support.  Not  only  did  he  flee  unto  God  in  all  great  emer- 
gencies, before  the  face  of  powerful  enemies,  at  the  defection  of 
Saul,  but  regularly  at  all  times  he  practised  the  habit  of  devo- 
tion, and  found  calmness,  comfort,  and  vigour  in  this  communion 
with  God.  As  it  is  said  :  "  Moses  and  Aaron  among  His  priests, 
and  Samuel  among  them  that  call  upon  His  name  ;  they  called 
upon  the  Lord,  and  He  answered  them."  But  there  was  no 
dreaminess,  no  unreality  in  his  devotion.  All  was  thorough, 
earnest,  practical,  "one  equable  progression  from  beginning 
to  end."  ^  If  he  failed  somewhat  in  sympathy,  if  he  was  hard 
and  unbending  in  upholding  the  right,  this  apparent  insensi- 
bility sprang  from  the  unworldliness  of  his  character  and  the 
intense  appreciation  of  the  utter  importance  of  justice,  truth,  and 
piety.  And  if,  as  seems  to  have  been  the  case,  he  was  not  skilful 
in  reading  character,  and  was  apt  to  be  deceived  by  outward 
appearances,  it  was  his  continued  gaze  upon  God  that  turned 
him  from  the  study  of  mankind,  and  made  him  no  close  investi- 
gator of  men's  mental  and  moral  attributes.  But  this  heavenly 
life  taught  him  to  shrink  from  anything  mean,  impure,  unholy  ; 
it  led  him  to  be  inflexibly  just,  upright  in  all  his  dealings,  obser- 
vant of  every  duty,  so  that  during  his  long  administration  no 
one  had  ever  complained  of  his  decisions,  not  a  voice  among  all 
the  people  could  impeach  his  impartiality  and  conscientious- 
ness ;  so  that  he  could  say  without  contradiction  :  "  I  am  old  and 
gray-headed,  and  I  have  walked  before  you  from  my  childhood 
to  this  day.  Behold,  here  I  am;  witness  against  me  before  the 
Lord,  and  before  His  anointed."  This  made  him  patient  under 
much  discouragement,  labouring  long  and  unrepiningly  with 
little  outward  success.  This  made  him  take  such  infinite  pains 
to  raise  the  tone  of  his  countrymen,  and  to  educate  them  for  a 
higher  life  than  they  had  been  accustomed  to  lead.  In  his 
heavenward  inspirations  he  has  no  room  for  thought  of  self. 

'  Wilberforce,  "  Heroes  of  Hebrew  History." 


THE   DEATH   OF   SAMUEL.  193 

What  will  bring  men  nearer  to  God  ?  What  will  win  the  Divine 
blessing  ?  What  is  the  will  of  Providence  ? — these  are  his  sole 
considerations.  That  his  own  position  may  be  altered  by  a  new 
state  of  thincjs,  that  he  may  sink  into  an  inferior  grade,  that  some 
of  his  cherished  designs  must  be  frustrated — in  all  this  he  cheer- 
fully acquiesces  as  soon  as  he  ascertains  that  such  is  the  Lord's 
purpose.  A  more  unselfish  man  has  never  existed.  His  heart 
was  filled  with  love  for  the  Lord  and  His  people  ;  and  what  was 
best  for  them,  that  was  his  good  pleasure  also.  That  great 
heart,  thus  occupied,  had  no  room  for  petty  feelings.  If  a  king 
could  best  head  the  people  at  this  crisis  of  their  history,  let  one 
be  found  ;  if  he  could  be  to  them  what  Samuel  himself  had 
hoped  to  be,  God  speed  him  !  All  is  cheerful,  voluntary,  digni- 
fied ;  there  is  no  show  of  compelled  submission  ;  he  sees  what 
is  best,  and,  without  any  consciousness  of  being  slighted  or 
superseded,  he  freely  gives  his  friendship  to  the  elect  monarch, 
and  by  lovin;;  counsel,  by  stern  rebuke,  by  solemn  warning,  by 
continued  intercession,  proves  his  interest  in  the  new  king,  and 
his  unselfish  desire  to  make  his  reign  a  success.  Good  men  can 
claim  no  immunity  from  trouble,  but  they  have  the  secret  of 
knowing  how  to  meet  it.  He  suffered  many  sorrows,  he  had  to 
make  many  sacrifices,  he  saw  the  ruin  of  what  he  had  loved,  he 
lost  his  best  and  earliest  friend,  he  was  unhappy  in  his  children, 
disappointed  in  the  chosen  king,  disappointed  in  his  fellow- 
countrymen  ;  but  in  and  through  all  these  afflictions  he  bore  a 
brave  heart,  staying  himself  on  God,  rising  higher  in  the  religious 
life  as  the  waves  beat  against  him,  finding  new  occasion  for 
prayer  and  devotion  as  every  fresh  distress  fell  upon  his  head. 

But,  while  he  prayed,  he  laboured.  He  had  a  great  work 
before  him,  and  he  set  himself  diligently  to  do  it.  Practical 
religion  had  greatly  declined  during  the  time  of  the  Judges  ;  the 
high  ideal  which  Moses  had  set  forth  was  miserably  defaced  ; 
priests  and  Levites  exercised  no  authority,  did  nothing  to  elevate 
or  unite  the  people.  The  principle  of  unity  was  lost,  and  the 
nation  was  degenerating  into  a  collection  of  tribes,  self-seeking, 
cruel,  rapacious,  forgetful  of  its  destiny,  ready  to  cast  off  its 
allegiance  to  Jehovah,  and  to  sink  in  religion  and  habits  to  the 
level  of  surrounding  heathens.  Together  with  this  degeneracy, 
and  in  punislin.ent  of  its  faithlessness,  Israel  fell  under  a  foreign 
yoke.  The  raw,  undisciplined,  ill-armed  levies  of  Israel  were 
litt  e  able  to  withstand  the  mail-clad  warriors  of  Philistia,  who, 

14 


194  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

through  the  culpable  negligence  of  the  Jews,  were  in  possession 
of  the  seaboard,  and  could  import  arms  and  armour  from  Greece- 
It  was  the  aim  of  Samuel's  life  to  enable  the  people  to  reconquer 
their  independence  ;  but  he  saw  that  the  first  step  towards  gain* 
I  ing  this  end  was  a  great  religious  reformation.  This  was  the 
'  necessary  preliminary  to  any  national  struggle  for  freedom.  His 
mind  was  filled  with  the  idea  of  the  theocracy.  The  king  of 
Israel  was  Jehovah,  whose  will  was  made  known  to  His  subjects 
by  the  intervention  of  priests  and  prophets  ;  and  he  looked  for- 
ward to  the  time  when  this  great  ideal  should  be  thoroughly 
believed,  and  become  the  foundation  of  all  public  action.  It  was 
an  arduous  undertaking  that  lay  before  him.  The  degeneracy 
of  the  priesthood,  of  which  from  his  boyhood  he  had  been 
witness,  the  general  low  moral  tone  among  the  people,  the 
apathy  of  the  natural  leaders,  and  the  universal  misery  that  was 
occasioned  by  the  oppression  of  heathen  invaders — these  things 
might  have  driven  one  less  faithful  to  despair.  Samuel  saw  in 
these  circumstances  a  power  to  raise  his  nation  from  their  low 
estate.  Thus  they  were  taught  that  they  were  nothing  without 
God.  What  had  their  long  disaffection  brought  but  sorrow  and 
loss  ?  Must  they  not  learn  that  there  was  only  one  way  to  re- 
pair the  mischief— the  path  of  repentance  ?  Thus  terrible  defeat 
at  Aphek,  and  the  destruction  of  Shiloh,  a  fatal  blow  which  the 
annalists  would  fain  have  blotted  out  from  the  national  records, 
caused  the  stricken  people  to  turn  to  Samuel  as  the  hope  of  the 
country,  and  to  recognize  in  this  young  seer  a  worthy  teacher 
and  leader.  Samuel  used  this  confidence  for  their  good.  Year 
by  year,  patiently,  quietly,  hopefully,  he  went  among  them,  pre- 

I Sparing  them  for  a  great  uprising  by  showing  where  their  strength 
lay,  teaching  true,  heart-felt  religion,  inspiring  them  to  trust  in 
the  covenant  Lord,  who  would  never  forsake  His  own  inherit- 
ance. Then,  when  in  confidence  the  whole  nation  turned  to 
him  as  Judge  and  Intercessor,  he  led  them  to  victory.  Having 
thus  secured  a  time  of  comparative  peace,  he  thought  to  utilize 
this  opportunity  by  establishing  firmly  the  principle  of  theocratic 
government.  His  hopes  were  shattered  by  the  demand  for  a 
king.  How  did  he  meet  this  request  ?  At  first  confounded, 
dismayed,  indignant,  he  sought  to  turn  the  people  from  their 
purpose  ;  but  laying  the  matter  before  the  Lord,  and  finding 
what  His  Will  was,  he  acquiesced  in  the  demand,  and  only 
cared  to  fence  the  king's  power  with  proper  restrictions,  and  to 


THE  DEATH  OF  SAMUEL.  19$ 

choose  a  fit  person  for  the  new  office.  Here  is  magnanimity 
almost  unparalleled.  Disappointed  in  his  highest  hopes,  made 
conscious  that  his  people  were  unworthy  of  the  great  destiny 
offered  them,  displaced  from  his  position  as  supreme  guide  of 
the  nation,  he  accepts  the  situation  with  alacrity,  and  becomes 
the  close  friend  of  the  man  who  supplants  him.  Without  fiery 
enthusiasm,  but  firm  and  consistent,  he  never  swerves  from  the 
most  devoted  patriotism.  And  when  he  is  forced  to  own  that 
the  chosen  king  has  forfeited  his  crown  by  flagrant  acts  of  dis- 
obedience ;  when,  in  the  highest  interests  of  religion  and  govern- 
ment, he  breaks  off  connection  with  the  rebellious  prince,  he 
ceases  not  to  pray  for  him  ;  he  loves  the  sinner  still,  and  takes 
no  overt  action  against  him,  upholding  his  authority  and  striv- 
ing to  repair  any  evil  he  might  effect.  He  had  found  that  the 
establishment  of  the  kingdom  was  become  a  necessity,  that  the 
unity  of  the  nation  and  its  orderly  development  could  only  thus 
be  secured,  and  he  threw  his  whole  energies  into  the  prosecu- 
tion of  this  idea.  If  the  first  monarch  had  proved  a  failure,  he 
might  train  another  who  would  more  worthily  carry  out  the 
Basileo-theocratic  conception.  In  David  he  found  one  whom 
he  could  mould  into  the  ideal  king.  If  we  look  closely  into  the 
hints  conveyed  by  the  accounts  of  the  period,  and  read  them  by 
the  light  of  subsequent  history,  we  find  that  Samuel  founded  a 
constitutional  monarchy,  restrained  from  falling  into  despotism 
by  the  checks  of  law  and  obedience  to  the  revealed  will  of 
Jehovah.  The  rule  which  governed  the  life  of  the  people, 
social,  political,  religious,  was  the  Mosaic  legislation  ;  the  king 
had  to  observe  the  same  rule,  and  could  never,  while  doing 
this,  become  an  independent  tyrant.  It  was  Samuel's  great 
business  to  guide  the  nation  from  the  isolation,  anarchy,  and 
barbarism  of  the  Judges,  to  consolidation  and  culture  under  a 
theocratic  monarch,  who  would  rule  by  law,  be  submissive  to 
the  voice  of  God,  and  aid  the  people  to  work  out  their  sublime 
destiny.  But  the  people  had  to  be  educated  in  order  to  profit 
by  this  constitution  or  to  make  it  even  feasible.  Religion  had 
to  be  restored  and  rendered  real  and  practical ;  morality  must 
be  learned  ;  youth  must  be  instructed  and  trained.  For  this 
purpose  Samuel  founded  the  schools  of  the  prophets,  wherein 
not  only  were  the  young  taught  the  rudiments  of  secular  know- 
ledge, how  to  take  their  part  in  religious  exercises,  how  to  serve 
God   in  Church   and  State  ;  but  a    class  of  men    were   there 


196  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

brought  up  to  exercise  the  office  of  prophet,  to  preach  pure 
morality  and  the  heart-felt  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  to  act  along 
and  co-ordinately  with  the  priesthood  and  monarchy  in  guiding^ 
the  state  aright  and  checking  all  attempts  at  illegality  and 
tyranny. 

For  one  man  to  have  inaugurated  and  methodized  these  two 
great  innovations,  constitutional  monarchy  and  national  educa- 
tion, and  to  have  given  them  stability  and  permanence,  is  an 
unique  proceeding  which  confers  upon  its  author  everlasting 
fame  ;  and,  looking  to  the  subsequent  effects  of  these  institu- 
tions, impels  us  to  pronounce  Samuel  one  of  the  great  bene- 
factors of  the  human  race. 

Of  the  books  which  bear  his  name,  only  a  very  small  portion 
can  with  any  probability  be  attributed  to  his  composition.  The 
two  Books  of  Samuel  originally  formed  one  work  called  "  The 
Book  of  Samuel."  In  the  Septuagint  and  Latin  Vulgate  they 
are  connected  with  the  two  following  works,  and  are  named 
respectively  the  First  and  Second  Book  of  Kings.  The  materials 
from  which  the  two  Books  were  composed  are  distinctly 
enumerated  in  i  Chron.  xxix.  29  :  "  Now  the  acts  of  David  the 
king,  first  and  last,  behold,  they  are  written  in  (upon)  the  history 
of  Samuel  the  seer,  and  in  the  history  of  Nathan  the  prophet, 
and  in  the  history  of  Gad  the  seer."  This  seems  to  imply  that 
Samuel  himself  wrote  certain  records  of  his  time  which  were 
used  in  subsequent  compilations.  How  far  these  annals  were 
introduced  into  our  two  Books,  or  who  was  their  compiler,  we 
cannot  accurately  determine,  nor  need  the  matter  be  here 
discussed.  That  the  work  is  collected  from  various  authorities, 
not  always  very  skilfully  combined,  is  plain  enough  ;  but  the 
editor  evidently  believed  in  the  authenticity  of  all  the  accounts 
which  he  used,  and  made  one  supplement  the  other,  sometimes 
even  repeating  the  same  story  with  some  slight  variation  or 
addition.  It  was  long  an  opinion  commonly  held  that  Samuel 
was  the  author  of  the  first  twenty-four  chapters  of  the  first  Book, 
the  remainder  of  that  Book  and  the  whole  of  the  second  being 
written  by  Gad  and  Nathan.  German  critics  have  discovered 
four  or  five  different  authors,  and  as  many  dates,  for  various 
parts  of  the  Books,  considering  them  as  founded  more  or  less 
on  contemporary  documents,   but  disfigured  by  legends,  and 


THE  DEATH  OF   SAMUEL.  197 

compiled  at  dififerent  periods  of  Jewish  history,  some  probably 
after  the  exile.  The  questions  here  introduced  we  cannot  dis- 
cuss. Thus  much  we  may  say  as  properly  bdonging  to  our 
subject.  The  First  Book  of  Samuel,  with  which  alone  we  are 
concerned,  maybe  conveniently  divided  into  three  parts:  I., 
the  history  of  Samuel  (chaps,  i.-vii.)  ;  II.,  the  history  of  Saul 
(viii.-xvi.)  ;  III.,  the  history  of  David  as  exile  (xvii.-xxxi.).^  The 
first  seven  chapters  are  probably  the  work  of  Samuel  himself. 
There  is  a  unity  in  them  and  a  symmetrical  arrangement  which 
argue  a  single  author,  and  that  one  who  knows  intimately  what 
he  describes,  is  reticent  in  his  own  praises,  feels  deeply  the 
degradation  of  the  sacerdotal  order,  and  dwells  largely  on  those 
matters  which  specially  appertained  to  the  interests  and  occu- 
pations of  his  life.  Some  facts,  too,  are  stated  which  were  only 
true  at  the  time  when  the  words  were  written  ;  ^.^,  chap.vii.  13  : 
"The  Philistines  were  subdued,  and  they  came  no  more  into 
the  coast  of  Israel " ;  whereas  a  very  different  condition  of 
things  obtained  a  few  years  later  (comp.  xiii.  19).  Again, 
Samuel  is  said  to  have  judged  Israel  all  the  days  of  his  life, 
though  he  abdicated  the  office  on  Saul's  assumption  of  the 
kingdom  (chap.  xii.).  We  can  only  suppose  that  the  compiler 
inserted  these  chapters  in  Samuel's  own  words  without  making 
any  change.  The  second  Part,  containing  the  history  of  Saul, 
seems  to  have  been  written  partly  by  Samuel  and  partly  by 
Gad.  Some  of  its  facts,  as  the  anointing  of  Saul,  were  known 
to  no  one  but  the  two  actors.  There  is  a  tenderness  in  recount- 
ing Saul's  errors,  and  a  desire  to  display  the  noble  parts  of  his 
character,  which  testify  the  regard  of  the  narrator  for  the  erring 
king.  Gad  was  probably  trained  in  one  of  the  schools  of  the 
prophets,  and  must  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
events  here  narrated.  He  accompanied  David  in  his  wanderings, 
and  is  justly  considered  the  author  of  the  third  part,  which  con- 
tains the  account  of  Samuel's  death  and  burial. 

«  Thus  Humraelauer,  p.  9. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE   DEATH  OF    SAUL. 

Saul  again  pursues  David  to  Hachilah — His  life  spared  a  second  time  by 
David — Saul's  compunction — Philistines  invade  the  country  with  large 
forces — Saul  encamps  at  Gilboa — Can  obtain  no  Divine  counsel — Con- 
sults a  witch  at  Endor  —  Is  answered  by  the  spirit  of  Samuel — Warned 
of  his  approaching  defeat  and  death — Returns  to  his  camp — Battle  of 
Gilboa — Defeat  of  Israel — Death  of  Saul  and  his  sons — Their  bodies 
affixed  to  the  walls  of  Bethshan  ;  removed  and  buried  by  the  men  of 
Jabesh-Gilead — News  of  the  catastrophe  brought  to  David — His  con- 
duct thereupon— His  funeral  elegy — Summary  of  Saul's  character. 

Only  once  again  did  Saul  and  David  meet  ;  and  this  meeting 
was  so  similar  in  some  respects  to  the  last  interview,  that  many 
critics  have  considered  the  two  accounts  to  be  varying  traditions 
of  one  and  the  same  event.  But  there  are  many  circumstances 
in  the  latter  transaction  which  distinguish  it  from  the  former  ; 
nor  is  it  in  itself  improbable  either  that  in  so  small  an  area  as 
the  desert  of  Judah  the  same  scenes  should  be  repeated,  or  that 
Saul  should  have  forgotten  his  temporary  gratitude,  and  under 
the  influence  of  a  fresh  attack  of  his  monomania,  and  aided  by 
the  opportunity  which  was  offered,  should  have  again  attempted 
David's  life,  giving  the  latter  another  occasion  for  displaying  his 
remarkable  magnanimity. 

Relying  somewhat  on  the  reconciliation  effected ^t  Engedi, 
David  had  returned  to  his  old  quarters  at  Hachilah,  in  the  ex- 
pectation that  he  would  now  be  left  in  peace.  But  the  Ziphites, 
who  well  knew  the  king's  feeling  towards  his  powerful  subject, 
and  were  ready  enough  to  gratify  it,  sent  information  of  his 
position  to  Saul,  and  urged  him  to  set  out  at  once  and  seize 


THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL.  1 99 

him.  Saul  could  not  resist  the  opportunity.  He  had  for  many 
years  kept  with  him  a  body  of  picked  troops,  which  were  called 
"the  three  thousand,"  whether  in  fact  their  numbers  were  more 
or  less  ; '  these  were  always  prepared  to  undertake  any  minor 
expedition,  and  with  them  he  immediately  marched  to  seek 
David.  Arriving  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ziph,  he  pitched  his 
camp  about  six  miles  east  of  the  town,  on  the  ridge  of  Hachilah 
(El  Kolah),  by  the  side  of  the  track  which  traversed  the  hill 
leading  down  to  the  south.  David,  who  seems  now  to  have 
been  sufficiently  powerful  to  feel  no  great  apprehension  at  the 
proximity  of  his  enemy,  was  kept  well  informed  of  Saul's 
movements,  and  having  taken  his  post  on  higher  ground,  was 
able  to  watch  all  that  went  on  below.  Unwilling  to  believe  that 
after  all  his  protestations  Saul  himself  had  come  out  against 
him,  he  proposed  to  two  of  his  most  trusty  followers,  Ahimelech 
the  Hittite,  and  Abishai  his  nephew,  to  make  a  closer  recon- 
noisance  of  the  Israelite  camp.  Ahimelech  declined  the 
hazardous  enterprise  ;  but  Abishai  agreeing  to  go,  he  and  David 
at  nightfall  crept  down  the  hill  and  approached  the  sleeping 
host.  These  had  round  them,  as  usual,  the  rampart  of  waggons, 
but  no  sentinels  posted  to  watch  their  slumbers.  The  two 
adventurers  easily  penetrated  even  to  the  centre  of  the  enclosure, 
and  found  Saul  himself  fast  asleep,  with  the  spear,  the  symbol 
of  his  kingly  authority,  fixed  in  the  ground  at  his  head.  Urged 
by  his  companion  to  let  him  smite  the  king  as  he  lay  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  David,  as  before,  refused  to  lift  his  hand 
against  the  Lord's  anointed.  But  to  show  the  king  that  he  had 
again  spared  his  life,  he  took  his  spear  and  the  cruse  of  water 
that  stood  near  at  hand,  and  carried  them  away  with  him. 
Passing  unheard  and  unperceived  through  the  sleeping  soldiers 
(**  because  a  deep  sleep  from  the  Lord  was  fallen  upon  them  "), 
David  got  back  safely  to  the  hill  whence  he  had  first  reconnoitred 
Saul's  camp,  a  gorge  probably  dividing  the  two  positions. 
Having  thus  put  a  sufficient  space  between  himself  and  the 
enemy,  he  called  with  a  loud  voice  on  Abner,  the  general  of 
the  army,  and  sarcastically  upbraided  him  for  not  keeping 
better  watch.  Abner  and  his  men  deserved  death  for  their 
carelessness  in  allowing  their  master  to  be  in  such  jeopardy ; 

«  Thus  the  famous  cohort  of  the  Persians  was  called  "The  ten  thousand." 
Herod,  vii.  55,  83. 


200  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

for  he  might  easily  have  been  murdered  by  any  one  without  the 
guards'  knowledge.  "  Look  for  the  king's  spear  and  water 
cruse,"  he  shouted.  Saul,  awakened  by  the  cry,  could  see 
nothing  amid  the  darkness,  but  recognized  a  well-known  voice, 
and  becoming  conscious  of  the  loss  he  had  sustained,  and 
remembering  the  outlaw's  former  generosity,  he  called  aloud, 
"Is  this  thy  voice,  my  son  David?"  And  then  David  once 
more,  as  at  Engedi,  remonstrates  with  the  king  for  his  con- 
tinued persecution  of  one  so  humble  and  insignificant,  and 
withal  so  innocent  of  wrong  as  himself,  adding  with  emphatic 
earnestness  :  "  If  it  be  the  Lord  that  hath  stirred  thee  up 
against  me  by  permitting  thine  anger  to  get  the  mastery  over 
thy  better  nature,  He  will  accept  an  offering  at  thy  hands  and 
restore  to  thee  thy  right  mind  ;  but  if  men  have  calumniated 
me  to  thee,  cursed  be  they  before  the  Lord  ;  for  their  slanderous 
tongues  will  force  me  to  leave  my  native  land,  and  to  dwell 
among  strangers  and  heathen."  Touched  with  compunction, 
Saul  cries  :  "  I  have  sinned  ;  return,  my  son  David ;  for  I  will 
no  more  do  thee  harm,  because  my  life  was  precious  in  thine 
eyes  this  day."  And  then,  vexed  with  himself  for  having  again 
run  his  head  into  danger,  and  being  again  indebted  for  safety  to 
the  magnanimity  of  the  son-in-law  whom  he  had  so  wrongly 
judged  and  cruelly  outraged,  he  adds  :  "  Behold,  I  have  played 
the  fool,  and  have  erred  exceedingly."  David  bade  him  send 
an  attendant  to  receive  the  spear  and  cruse  which  he  had 
taken ;  and  after  reminding  the  king  of  the  retribution  which 
God  dispenses  to  all,  and  silently  rejecting  overtures  the 
insincerity  of  which  he  had  now  often  experienced,  he  turned 
from  the  spot  with  the  last  words  which  he  would  ever  hear 
from  Saul  sounding  in  his  ears — words  expressive  rather  of 
reluctant  conviction  than  of  willing  appreciation  :  "  Blessed 
shalt  thou  be,  my  son  David  ;  thou  shalt  both  do  mightily,  and 
shalt  surely  prevail."  Saul  returned  to  Gibeah,  while  David, 
despairing  of  safety  in  the  land  of  Judah,  sought  a  home 
beyond  its  borders,  where  the  malice  of  his  persecutor  could 
not  reach  him. 

And  now  we  approach  to  the  closing  scenes  in  the  life  of  the 
miserable  Saul.  Samuel,  by  whose  perpetual  intercession  ruin 
had  been  averted  from  the  royal  house,  had  died  two  years  ago. 
There  was  no  prophet  to  take  his  place  in  the  counsels  of  Saul ; 
the  priests  had  been  ruthlessly  slain,  and  the  only  survivor  had 


THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL.  20I 

carried  the  sacred  Urim  with  him  when  he  fled  for  refuge  to 
David.  The  tabernacle  was  removed  from  Nob,  and  possibly  a 
fresh  ephod  with  its  Urim  was  constructed  ;  but  the  Divine 
oracle,  when  consulted,  was  silent.  On  the  death  of  Samuel 
the  people  began  to  despair  of  the  fortunes  of  Saul,  and 
deserted  his  cause  in  great  numbers.  Many  of  his  most 
valiant  soldiers  joined  themselves  to  David,  who  had  taken 
service  with  Achish,  king  of  Gath.  And  now  the  Philistines 
had  invaded  the  country  with  a  large  force,  levied  from  all  their 
cities  and  allies.  No  such  combined  movement  had  ever  before 
been  made.  This  was  no  mere  border  warfare,  no  mere  raid 
organized  by  a  band  of  marauders  who  might  easily  be  defeated, 
•but  a  most  formidable  expedition  directed  against  the  very 
centre  of  the  territory  of  Israel.  Marching  northwards  along 
the  sea-coast,  and  gathering  forces  in  their  progress,  they 
turned  to  the  east  and  entered  the  plain  of  Jezreel  or  Esdraelon, 
the  famous  valley  which  runs  from  the  Jordan  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  to  the  Bay  of  Acre.  Crossing  the  plain, 
they  encamped  on  the  slope  of  the  Little  Hermon  or  Jebel 
Duhy  range,  which  bounds  it  on  the  east,  at  a  place  called 
Shunem  (Sulem),  about  2j  miles  north  of  Jezreel,  celebrated  in 
after  time  as  the  abode  of  the  good  woman  who  hospitably 
entertained  the  prophet  Elisha.*  To  meet  this  invasion  Saul 
gathered  together  what  forces  he  could  collect,  and  advancing 
from  the  south,  where  he  had  remained  unmolested,  pitched  his 
camp  on  Mount  Gilboa,  the  range  which  bounds  the  great 
plain  on  the  south,  bending  out  like  a  sickle  from  the  hills  of 
Samaria.  Here,  at  a  point  where  the  valley  is  some  four 
miles  in  width,  he  took  up  a  position  opposite  to  the  Philistine 
encampment,  and  where  from  his  greater  elevation  he  conald 
watch  all  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  But  his  situation  was 
extremely  perilous  ;  he  was  in  imminent  danger  of  being 
surrounded,  for  the  Philistine  general  had  marched  a  strong 
body  of  troops  to  Aphek,  in  the  rear  of  Saul's  army,  and  thus 
cut  off  all  retreat  to  the  south.  Looking  on  the  host  opposed 
to  him,  and  contrasting  it  with  his  own  weak  and  dispirited 
army,  Saul  "  was  afraid,  and  his  heart  greatly  trembled."  Here 
was  an  enemy  superior  in  numbers,  in  arms,  and  equipment, 
furnished  with  cavalry  and  chariots,  with  which  he  could  not 

*  2  Kings  iv,  8. 


202  SAMUEL   AND    SAUL. 

contend  on  equal  terms  ;  with  this  host,  as  he  thought,  the 
much  wronged  David  was  present,  eager  to  avenge  himself  on 
his  tyrannous  oppressor  ;  his  own  army  was  thinned  by  the 
desertion  of  many  of  his  most  able  warriors.^  All  these  were 
very  serious  considerations.  He  was  mistaken  indeed  about 
David,  whom  the  jealousy  of  the  Philistines  had  not  permitted 
to  take  part  in  the  expedition,  but  the  other  disadvantages  were 
very  real  and  formidable.  Add  to  this,  he  felt  himself  aban- 
doned by  the  Lord.  The  tabernacle  had  been  set  up  at 
Gibeon,  where  Zadok,  of  the  family  of  Eleazar,  was  acting  as 
high  priest,  a  new  ephod  having  probably  been  made,  though  it 
is  doubtful  whether  it  was  used  in  the  present  case.'*  Saul,  in 
the  extremity  of  his  distress,  endeavoured  to  obtain  direction 
from  the  Lord  by  all  known  means,  but  in  vain.  The  priests 
consulted  gave  no  answer  ;  no  inspired  dreams  intimated  the 
future  ;  no  prophet  offered  heavenly  counsel.  Impatient  in  his 
desire  of  supernatural  information,  not  accepting  his  own 
iniquity  which  rendered  him  unworthy  of  such  revelation,  and 
falling  a  victim  to  the  wildest  and  grossest  superstition,  he 
orders  his  servants  to  find  him  a  woman  possessed  of  a 
familiar  spirit,  that  he  may  inquire  of  the  future  from  her. 
Such  pretenders  to  occult  arts  have  been  known  in  every  age 
and  country,  and  among  them,  as  in  modern  days,  women  have 
been  the  chief  professors  or  media.  Saul  himself,  in  an  access 
of  religious  zeal,  and  probably  immediately  after  the  death  of 
Samuel,  had  carried  out  the  stern  law  of  Moses,^  and  purged 
the  land  of  wizards  and  necromancers.  Now,  in  his  despera- 
tion, he  has  recourse  to  one  of  these  impostors  to  reveal  to  him 
what  is  about  to  happen.  Who  can  tell  the  struggle  in  the 
proud  king's  soul  before  he  could  bring  himself  to  ask  the. 
aid  of  a  professor  of  those  diabolical  arts,  so  solemnly 
denounced  by  the  law  of  God  and  sternly  proscribed  by  his 
own  re-enactments  1  To  what  a  depth  of  moral  degradation 
must  he  have  sunk  to  think  thus  to  extort  from  hell  the  know- 
ledge which  heaven  had  refused  !     Well  may  it  be  said  :  "  Lo, 


*  I  Chron.  xii.  i  ff,  22. 

»  Compare  i  Sam.  xxviii.  6  with  ver.  15.  Urim  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
latter  passage,  and  very  probably  is  named  in  the  former  as  denoting  one 
of  the  customary  methods  of  obtaining  Divine  direction. 

3  Lev.  xix.  31  ;  xx.  6.     Deut.  xviii.  10  ff. 


THE  DEATH   OF  SAUL.  203 

this  is  a  man  that  took  not  God  for  his  strength,"  and  was  left 
by  God  to  himself.  There  was  at  Endor,  a  town  which  lay  at 
the  foot  of  the  northern  face  of  the  hills,  about  two  miles  from 
Shunem,  where  the  Philistines  were  posted,  a  celebrated  woman 
who  possessed  an  ob^  or  familiar  spirit,  as  it  was  termed,  i.e.^ 
who  had  the  power  of  ventriloquism.  Jewish  tradition  has 
represented  this  person  as  Abner's  mother,  which  would 
account  for  her  being  spared  at  the  time  when  the  witches  were 
exterminated  ;  but  we  know  no  grounds  for  such  an  improbable 
story.  Endor  was  one  of  those  places  whence  Manasseh  had 
failed  to  expel  the  old  tenants,  and  it  was  still  inhabited  by  a 
mixed  population,  comprising  many  Canaanites,  who  retained 
their  old  superstitions,  and  were  imitated  by  their  Jewish 
fellow-citizens.  Hence  therein  were  to  be  found  sorcerers  and 
professors  of  the  black  art.  The  popular  opinion  about  these 
necromancers  is  given  by  Josephus  :  ^  "  Ventriloquists  of  this 
kind  bring  up  the  souls  of  the  dead,  and  by  their  means  foretell 
the  future  to  those  who  inquire  of  them."  Determined  to 
seek  forbidden  knowledge  in  this  unlawful  way,  Saul  adopted 
every  precaution  to  prevent  his  visit  being  discovered  ;  and 
taking  with  him  only  two  trusty  followers,  whom  again  tradition 
asserts  to  have  been  Abner  and  Amasa,  and  disguising  himself 
in  mean  attire,  he  set  forth  on  his  perilous  journey  in  the  early 
hours  of  the  night.  The  distance  betAveen  Gilboa  and  Endor 
was  nearly  seven  miles,  and  as  the  camp  of  the  Philistines  lay 
between  the  two  places,  he  had  to  make  a  detour  round  the 
eastern  shoulder  of  the  little  Hermon,  and  avail  himself  of 
every  inequality  in  the  ground  to  escape  the  observation  of  the 
enemy's  picquets.  He,  with  his  two  companions,  arrived  safely 
at  the  witch's  dwelling,  and  coming  into  her  presence,  at  once 
requested  her  to  use  her  magic  powers  of  prognostication,  and 
to  bring  up  from  Sheol,  the  abode  of  the  dead,  the  soul  of  him 
whom  he  should  name  unto  her.  The  woman,  who  knew  not 
who  her  visitor  was,  and  could  never  have  supposed  that  the 
king  would  thus  defy  the  law  of  God  and  infringe  his  own 
special  ordinance,  answered  him,  as  she  was  wont  to  reply  to 
all  applicants,  by  remhiding  him  of  the  penalty  laid  upon  the 
practice  of  these  secret  arts,  and  the  danger  she  would  incur  by 
assenting  to  his  demand.     This  was  said  before  she  acknow- 

«  *' Antiq."  xiv.  6.  3. 


204  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

ledged  the  possession  of  illicit  powers,  that  she  might  extract 
from  the  inquirer  an  oath  of  secrecy,  and  thus  be  held  safe 
from  any  evil  consequences.  Saul,  now  lost  to  all  sense  of 
religion  and  dignity,  at  once  gives  the  desired  promise:  "As 
the  Lord  liveth,"  he  swears,  "there  shall  no  punishment  happen 
unto  thee  for  this  thing."  Assured  by  this  promise,  the  witch 
asks  who  it  is  whose  presence  Saul  desires,  much  as  the 
modern  spirit-rapping  impostors  offer  to  put  their  dupes  en 
rapport  with  departed  spirits.  Her  question  takes  this  form  : 
"Whom  shall  I  bring  up  for  thee?"  because  the  souls  of  the 
dead  were  popularly  supposed  to  be  located  in  some  place 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth.  "  Bring  me  up  Samuel," 
answered  Saul.  In  his  hopeless  despair  the  miserable  man 
turns  again  to  the  guide  and  friend  of  his  youth  ;  he  recognizes 
his  pity  and  affection  through  all  his  sternness  in  condemna- 
tion ;  he  would  fain,  even  by  means  the  most  degrading,  once 
more  behold,  once  more  converse  with  this  tried  and  revered 
counsellor,  and  from  his  lips  hear  his  doom.  *'  Bring  me 
up  Samuel,"  he  cries,  fully  believing  that  he  would  be 
visited  by  the  prophet's  spirit.  The  witch,  removing  her- 
self to  a  distance,  probably  began  her  incantations  with 
heaping  incense  on  a  brazier  and  causing  a  dense 
smoke  to  shroud  her  operations  in  the  darkened  chamber. 
Hardly  had  she  commenced  her  spells  when  she  uttered  a 
fearful  shriek.  Something  had  appeared  which  she  had  not 
expected,  something  so  awful  and  supernatural  that  even  her 
hardened  nature  was  appalled.  She  had  intended  to  practise 
on  the  inquirer's  credulity,  and  by  her  ventriloquial  powers  to 
make  it  appear  that  she  held  communication  with  a  spirit.  Or 
she  may  have  been  a  clever  clairvoyante,  able  to  throw  herself 
into  an  ecstatic  state,  and  in  this  condition  to  answer  questions 
propounded  to  her.  Certainly  the  apparition  which  she  beheld 
was  wholly  unexpected.  She  at  once  recognized  Samuel  in  the 
figure  that  was  visible  to  her  ;  at  the  same  time  she  perceived 
who  her  visitor  was,  Josephus  says  that  Samuel  informed  her 
of  Saul's  presence  ;  but  this  is  unlikely.  More  probably  the 
sight  of  his  majestic  stature  and  regal  bearing,  the  fact  that  he 
had  demanded  the  evocation  of  Samuel's  spirit,  and  that  the 
prophet  had  obeyed  the  summons,  intimated  the  identity  of  the 
stranger  ;  or  in  her  state  of  clairvoyance  she  knew  more  than 
in  her  natural  condition,  and  at  once  penetrated  his  disguise. 


THE  DEATH   OF  SAUL.  205 

Perhaps,  too,  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment  the  king  dropped 
the  robe  in  which  he  had  muffled  his  face,  and  the  witch  saw 
who  he  was.  This  renewed  her  terror.  She  had  exercised  for- 
bidden arts  in  the  very  presence  of  the  monarch  who  had  piti- 
lessly put  to  death  all  who  practised  them.  "  Why  hast  thou 
deceived  me  ?  "  she  exclaims  ;  "  for  thou  art  Saul."  The  king  re- 
assures her,  bidding  her  fear  not.  He  himself  had  seen  nothing ; 
he  had  heard  the  fearful  shriek  of  the  sorceress,  but  no  vision 
had  crossed  his  sight.  With  a  thrill  of  horror  he  asked  her 
what  she  had  seen.  That  another  person  in  the  same  room 
should  behold  a  presence  invisible  to  himself  was  a  terrifying 
thought ;  and  the  woman's  mysterious  words  increased  the 
terror.  "  I  saw,"  she  answered,  "  a  god-like  form  ^  ascending 
out  of  the  earth."  And  on  Saul  asking,  "What  was  his 
aspect  ? "  she  replied  :  "  An  old  man  cometh  up,  and  he  is 
covered  with  a  mantle."  The  word  for  "  mantle,"  vieil^  is  not 
appropriated  to  any  special  prophetic  dress,  but  is  used  of  a 
garment  that  had  no  official  signification.  Samuel  in  life  seems 
always  to  have  worn  this  ;  and  now  Saul,  in  his  anxiety  to  con- 
verse with  the  prophet,  and  hearing  that  the  apparition  is  that 
of  an  aged  man,  at  once  concludes  that  Samuel  is  present,  and 
bends  to  the  ground  as  in  reverence  of  a  superior  being.  In  the 
conversation  that  ensued  it  has  been  questioned  whether  Saul 
himself  heard  Samuel's  voice,  or  whether  he  was  dependent 
upon  the  sorceress  for  his  knowledge  of  what  the  shade  uttered. 
Nothing  is  said  of  the  woman's  intervention,  and  it  may  be 
believed  that  as  the  spirit  was  present  by  Divine  permission,  so 
Saul  was  enabled  to  understand  the  message  then  delivered, 
whether  it  reached  his  outward  ear  or  was  subjectively  received. 
The  former  is  most  likely,  as  the  account  in  the  text  is  probably 
derived  from  the  information  of  the  king's  two  companions,  who 
also  heard  the  words  spoken.  It  is  also  not  improbable  that 
from  this  moment  the  form  of  Samuel  became  dimly  visible. 
This  awful  interview  between  the  fated  king  and  the  evoked 
spirit  thus  begins  :  "  Why  hast  thou  disquieted  me,"  asks  the 
Prophet,  "  to  bring  me  up  ?  "  He  speaks  in  accommodation 
to  the  popular  idea  of  the  abode  of  the  dead,  and  complains 
that  Saul's  sin  and  his  resort  to  wicked  arts  have  bitterly  grieved 

«  The  Hebrew  is  Elolmn,  "gods,"  which  is  the  phiral  of  majesty,  and 
does  not  denote  a  plurahty  of  appearances. 


2o6  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

his  mind,  disturbed  his  rest  in  the  other  world,  and  brought  him 
up  to  deliver  his  woeful  message.  Saul's  answer  to  his  question 
is  very  pitiful  and  pathetic  even  in  its  inconsequence,  as  if  for- 
bidden arts  could  extort  an  answer  refused  by  the  regularly 
ordained  media  of  communication.  *'  I  am  sore  distressed,"  he 
despairingly  replies,  "  for  the  Philistines  make  war  against  me, 
and  God  is  departed  from  me,  and  answereth  me  no  more, 
neither  by  prophets  nor  by  dreams."  He  does  not  mention  the 
Urim,  either  from  shame  at  the  memory  of  the  atrocious  murder 
of  the  priests  at  Nob,  or  else  for  brevity's  sake.  *'  Therefore," 
he  proceeds,  *'  I  have  had  thee  called,  that  thou  mayest  make 
known  unto  me  what  I  shall  do."  Samuel  reproaches  him  foi 
the  inconsistency  of  this  proceeding.  With  the  stern  straight- 
forwardness which  he  had  shown  in  life,  he  asks  indignantly : 
**  Why  dost  thou  inquire  of  me,  seeing  that  the  Lord  is  departed 
from  thee,  and  is  become  thine  enemy  ?  I  am  His  prophet  on 
earth  or  in  Hades.  And  the  Lord  hath  done  to  thee,^  as  He 
spake  by  me  ;  for  the  Lord  hath  rent  the  kingdom  out  of 
thine  hand,  and  hath  given  it  to  thy  neighbour,  even  to  David, 
because  thou  obeyedst  not  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  nor  executedst 
His  fierce  wrath  upon  Amalek."  Here  for  the  first  time  is 
David  named  by  the  Prophet's  mouth  as  the  person  designated 
to  supersede  Saul.  Though  the  latter  had  long  known  this,  it 
was  a  cruel  blow  to  hear  the  announcement  under  present  cir- 
cumstances. But  there  was  more  to  follow.  Not  only  was  the 
king  himself  to  be  punished  for  his  rebellion,  which,  as  he  was 
told  at  the  time,  was  as  heinous  a  sin  as  witchcraft  (the  crime 
he  was  now  guilty  of),  but  his  people  should  be  involved  in  his 
ruin.  "Jehovah  will  deliver  Israel  also  with  thee  into  the  hand 
of  the  Phihstines,  and  to-morrow  shalt  thou  and  thy  sons  be 
with  me  ;  the  Lord  shall  also  deliver  the  camp  of  Israel  into  the 
hands  of  the  Philistines."  Thus  the  ruin  would  be  complete* 
the  army  routed,  the  king  and  his  sons  slaughtered,  the  camp 
taken  and  sacked.  It  was  a  fearful  doom.  Heard  in  the  dark- 
ness of  that  mysterious  chamber,  spoken  by  a  visitant  from 
another  world,  received  under  the  influence  of  keen  mental 
agitation  and  exhaustion  consequent  upon  fatigue  and  want  of 
food,  it  powerfully  affected  the  miserable  king.  He  fell  at  full 
length  fainting  on  the  floor.     His  condition  roused  the  pity  of 

«  So  Sept.    The  Heb.  is  "for  Himself." 


THE  DEATH   OF  SAUL.  20? 

the  sorceress.  She  came  to  him,  and  as  having  a  certain  claim 
upon  him  for  her  attention  to  his  wishes,  entreated  him  to 
hearken  to  her  and  to  take  some  food.  This  he  at  first  refused 
to  do,  but  urged  by  his  two  companions  he  at  length  rose  from 
the  ground,  and  sat  wearily  down  on  the  divan  that  was  set 
against  the  walls  of  the  chamber,  while  the  woman  hastened  to 
prepare  a  meal.  She  was  the  more  willing  to  do  this,  not  only 
because  she  saw  his  prostration  and  doubted  if  he  could  even 
return  to  his  camp  unless  previously  refreshed  by  food,  but  also 
from  motives  of  policy,  trusting  that  he  who  had  eaten  her  bread 
and  salt  would  not  betray  or  punish  her.  An  Eastern  meal  does 
not  take  long  to  prepare.  A  calf  was  killed  and  cooked,  fresh 
bread  baked,  and  all  things  were  quickly  made  ready,  as  Saul 
sat  resting  in  gloomy  meditation,  taking  no  heed  of  time. 
Having  hastily  partaken  of  the  meal,  Saul  and  his  comrades 
retraced  their  steps,  and  arrived  safely  at  the  camp  of 
Gilboa.* 

Of  Saul's  feelings  at  this  momentous  crisis  we  can  judge 
only  by  his  recorded  actions.  He  showed  no  repentance,  no 
softening  of  the  heart  at  the  predicted  ruin  of  all  his  hopes  ; 
certain  of  death,  he  shrank  not  from  the  contest ;  "  in  stolid 
desperation  he  went  to  meet  his  doom." 

A  day  or  two  passed,'  and  some  slight  changes  had  taken 


■  I  have  given  that  view  of  the  transaction  at  Endor  which  appears  to 
me  most  reasonable.  I  cannot  believe  that  the  whole  was  deception  ;  I 
cannot  believe  that  the  form  and  voice  of  Samuel  were  assumed  by  a  demon  ; 
I  cannot  believe  that  all  that  then  passed  was  a  subjective  illusion  in  Saul's 
diseased  mind.  I  think  that  Samuel,  by  God's  command,  not  in  response 
to  the  witch's  spells,  did  appear  as  really  as  did  Moses  and  Elias  at  the 
Transfiguration.  I  am  of  the  opinion  of  the  son  of  Sirach  who  says  of 
Samuel :  "After  his  death  he  prophesied,  and  showed  the  king  his  end,  and 
lifted  up  his  voice  from  the  earth  in  prophecy,  to  blot  out  the  wickedness  of 
the  people''  (Ecclus.  xlvi.  20).  The  addition  made  in  the  Greek  version  of 
I  Chron.  x.  13  seems  to  me  to  be  justified  :  "  So  Saul  died  for  his  transgres- 
sion which  he  committed  against  the  Lord,  even  against  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  which  he  kept  not,  and  also  because  he  asked  counsel  of  one  that 
had  a  familiar  spirit,  to  inquire  of  it,  and  Samuel  the  prophet  answered 
kim*^  The  arguments  on  the  various  views  taken  may  be  seen  in  the 
commentaries,  e.g.,  in  Keil,  Wordsworth,  and  Hummelauer. 

'  The  "  to-morrow  "  in  i  Sam.  xxviii.  19  ("  to-morrow  shalt  thou  and 
thy  sons  be  with  me'')  must  not  be  pressed  to  mean  the  very  next  day,  but 
taken  in  a  wider  sense — "  time  immediately  succeeding."' 


2o8  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

place  in  the  situation  of  the  PhiHstines  and  the  Israelites.  The 
former  had  moved  somewhat  to  the  west  in  order  to  have  more 
favourable  ground  for  their  cavalry  and  chariots,  and  to  threaten 
the  enemy's  post  on  its  most  exposed  side.  The  Israelites  had 
come  down  from  Mount  Gilboa,  and  taken  a  strong  position 
near  the  spring  which  is  in  Jezreel  at  the  base  of  the  mountain. 
Jezreel  itself,  says  Captain  Conder/  is  situated  on  a  knoll  five 
hundred  feet  high,  and  is  now  called  Zerin.  The  site,  which 
has  never  been  lost,  is  peculiar,  "  for  whilst  on  the  north  and 
north-east  the  slopes  are  steep  and  rugged,  on  the  south  the 
ascent  is  very  gradual,  and  the  traveller  coming  northward  is 
astonished  to  look  down  suddenly  on  the  valley  with  its  two 
springs,  one  (Ain  Jalud)  welling  out  from  a  conglomerate  cliff, 
and  forming  a  pool  about  one  hundred  yards  long,  with  muddy 
borders  ;  the  other  (Ain  Tubaun),  the  Crusaders'  Fountain  of 
Tubania,  where  the  Christian  armies  were  fed  '  miraculously' 
for  three  days  on  the  fish  which  still  swarm  in  most  of  the  great 
springs  near."  It  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  former  of 
these  springs,  the'*  Fountain  of  Goliath,"  that  the  Israelites  were 
encamped.  Here  they  were  attacked  by  the  Philistines  in 
overwhelming  force.  Weakened  by  defection,  dispirited  by  the 
consciousness  of  inferiority,  they  were  driven  from  their  station 
to  the  mountain  behind  them,  and  here  on  its  steep  ridges  made 
their  final  stand.  The  details  of  the  battle  are  wanting ;  the 
narrator  found  it  a  bitter  task  to  write  the  events  of  that  fatal 
day.  But  everywhere  we  see  the  figure  of  Saul  towering  above 
the  sea  of  heads,  the  royal  crown  encircling  the  helmet,  the  royal 
bracelet  glittering  on  his  arm,  followed  by  his  brave  sons,  per- 
forming prodigies  of  valour.  Oppressed  by  the  chariots  in  the 
plain,  surrounded  by  the  archers  on  the  hill-side,  amid  the 
showers  of  stones  hurled  from  the  rude  engines,  he  combats 
undaunted,  continuing  the  desperate  fight  long  after  success 
had  been  rendered  impossible.  The  brave  Jonathan  fell  at  his 
side  ;  his  two  other  sons,  Abinadab  (or  Ishui)  and  Melchishua, 
were  slain  in  his  defence  ;  the  flower  of  his  guard  lay  dead  ; 
the  troops  were  flying  in  disorder.  The  enemy  gathered  around 
him,  intent  on  skying  or  capturing  their  powerful  adversary  ; 
none  were  found  to  cope  with  him  hand  to  hand,  but  the  archers 
from  a  safe  distance  aimed  their  arrows  at  him,  and  Saul  was 

»  "TentWork,"i.  124. 


THE  DEATH   OF  SAUL.  209 

sore  distressed.  Wounded  and  weakened,  deserted  by  God, 
hopeless  of  safety,  he  calls  in  his  agony  to  his  trusty  armour- 
bearer  (whom  tradition  asserts  to  have  been  Doeg  the  Edomite) 
to  take  his  sword  and  slay  him,  lest  he  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  uncircumcised  Philistines  and  be  by  them  mocked 
and  maltreated  ere  he  was  put  to  death.  But  the  armour- 
bearer  could  not  bring  himself  to  comply  with  the  terrible  re- 
quest. His  love  for  his  master  withheld  the  blow.  He  himself 
was  sore  afraid  ;  he  was  in  some  sort  answerable  for  his  lord's 
life  ;  he  could  not  without  guilt  raise  his  hand  against  the  Lord's 
anointed.  Hard  pressed  the  king  would  not  delay  to  expos- 
tulate, but  dropping  his  spear,  and  taking  the  heavy  sword  from 
his  servant,  he  fixed  the  hilt  firmly  in  the  ground,  and  threw 
the  whole  weight  of  his  ponderous  body  upon  the  upturned 
weapon.  The  point  pierced  his  heart,  and  he  fell  dead  on  the 
blood-stained  field.  The  armour-bearer,  unwilling  to  survive  his 
master,  followed  his  example,  and  slew  himself  in  the  same 
way ;  and  when  night  fell,  none  were  left  alive  of  the  gallant  band 
who  had  fought  so  bravely  round  their  leader.  It  was  a  fatal 
day  for  Israel.  The  king  and  nearly  all  his  house  were  cut  off ; 
the  defeat  was  complete  ;  in  utter  panic  the  people  fled  ;  they 
stopped  not  in  their  headlong  flight,  but,  abandoning  their 
homes,  took  refuge  in  the  country  beyond  the  Jordan,  and  the 
Philistines  came  and  occupied  the  forsaken  villages.  Returning 
from  the  pursuit,  the  Philistines  on  the  next  day  visited  the  field 
of  battle  to  strip  the  slain  and  collect  booty.  Then  the  full  im- 
portance of  their  victory  was  made  known  to  them.  Amid  a 
heap  of  his  bravest  warriors  they  found  the  corpses  of  Saul 
and  his  three  sons.  Though  the  former  had  been  despoiled  of 
his  royal  ornaments,  he  was  easily  recognized  by  his  great 
stature,  and  his  face  was  doubtless  known  to  many  among 
them.  The  news  of  his  fall  spread  rapidly  around,  and  was 
proclaimed  in  every  city  of  the  Philistines  with  joy  and  exulta- 
tion. Respect  to  an  enemy's  body  was  not  part  of  the  Philistine 
code.  They  had  feared  Saul  while  living,  and  now  they  wreaked 
their  vengeance  on  him  when  dead.  They  cut  off  his  head  and 
those  of  his  sons,  stripped  their  bodies  of  their  arms  and  armour, 
which  they  placed  as  trophies  in  the  great  temple  of  Astarte  at 
Askelon,  sent  Saul's  head  to  the  temple  of  Dagon  at  Ashdod, 
and  the  others  to  some  of  their  chief  towns,  grim  tokens  of 
victory,  and  fixed  the  decapitated  bodies  to  the  walls  of  Beth- 

15 


2IO  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL. 

shan,  a  city  whose  Canaanitish  inhabitants  would  naturally  re- 
joice at  indignities  offered  to  their  ancient  enemy.  This  town, 
known  afterwards  by  the  name  of  Scythopolis,  and  now  as 
Beisan,  stood  in  a  commanding  situation  on  a  spur  of  rock  over- 
looking the  valley  of  Jezreel  on  the  one  side,  and  on  the  other 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  from  which  it  was  about  four  miles 
distant.  The  river  Jalud,  which  drains  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  passes  close  under  this  hill  on  its  way 
to  the  Jordan,  forming  the  Wady  Jalud,  a  great  highway  be- 
tween east  and  west,  and  debouching  nearly  opposite  a  ford 
called  pre-eminently  Abarah,  The  Ford.  On  the  slope  of  the 
hills  of  Gilead,  facing  Bethshan  at  some  twelve  miles  distant, 
lay  Jabesh  Gilead,  the  town  so  gallantly  rescued  by  Saul  in  the 
early  days  of  his  kingdom.  The  news  of  the  terrible  disaster 
that  had  befallen  their  countrymen,  and  of  the  maltreatment  of 
the  corpse  of  their  king,  poignantly  affected  this  grateful  people. 
They  at  once  determined  to  show  that  they  had  not  forgotten 
what  they  owed  to  the  deceased  monarch  ;  his  body  should  not 
be  left  as  a  laughing-stock  to  his  enemies,  a  prey  to  foul  birds 
and  insects.  So  the  bravest  men  of  the  city  set  out  by  night, 
crossed  the  Jordan,  arrived  unmolested  at  Bethshan,  took  down 
from  the  wall  the  four  corpses,  and  bore  them  reverently  to  their 
city.  There,  as  the  flesh  by  this  time  was  corrupted,  and  the 
bodies  were  mutilated,  and  the  usual  custom  of  embalming 
could  not  be  practised,  they  burned  the  bodies,  and  buried  the 
remains  under  a  tamarisk  tree  which  grew  beside  the  town. 
And  to  mark  their  sorrow  they  fasted  seven  days,  mourning  as 
for  a  beloved  and  honoured  friend.  Some  years  after,  David 
removed  these  remains  cind  interred  them  in  the  family  burying- 
place  of  Kish,  at  Zelah  in  Benjamin.^ 

Intelligence  of  the  defeat  of  the  Israelites  and  of  the  death  of 
Saul  and  his  sons  was  brought  to  David  by  an  Amalekite,  who 
gave  correct  details  of  the  events  that  had  occurred,  but,  to  win 
the  favour  of  David,  represented  himself  as  having  slain  Saul  at 
the  king's  own  desire,  confirming  the  truth  of  his  narrative  by 
offering  him  the  royal  crown  and  bracelet  of  which  he  had 
despoiled  the  dead  monarch.  Far  from  rewarding  the  self- 
accusing  murderer,  David  gave  orders  for  his  immediate  execu- 
tion  for   having   sacrilegiously   hfted    his    hand    against    the 

*  ?  Sam.  xxi.  152  ff, 


THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL.  211 

anointed  of  the  Lord.  In  the  utter  abandonment  of  grief  at  this 
great  national  calamity,  and  at  his  own  loss  thereby,  he  rent  his 
clothes,  and  commanded  an  universal  mourning  to  be  observed ; 
«  and  they  mourned  and  wept  and  fasted  until  even  for  Saul,  and 
for  Jonathan  his  son,  and  for  the  people  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the 
house  of  Israel ;  because  they  were  fallen  by  the  sword."  And 
then,  forgetting  all  the  ills  that  he  had  suffered  at  Saul's  hands, 
remembering  only  the  noble  traits  of  his  character,  the  bravery 
and  skill  of  his  military  enterprises,  his  feats  of  arms,  his  manli- 
ness, his  beauty,  his  goodly  stature,  recalling  with  mournful 
tenderness  the  virtues  of  Jonathan,  his  fleetness  of  foot,  his 
dexterity  in  the  use  of  weapons  of  war,  and  most  of  all  the 
warmth  and  loyalty  of  his  love,  David  uttered  a  pathetic  elegy, 
which  has  been  preserved  in  the  unknown  *'  Book  of  Jasher," 
and  is  here  inserted  by  the  historian  *  :— 

•'  Thy  glory,  O  Israel,  is  slain  upon  thy  high  places  I 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen  !  "  &c. 

,  We  need  not  linger  long  on  the  delineation  of  Saul's  character. 
The  course  of  our  history  has  clearly  displayed  it;  its  early 
promise,  its  gradual  deterioration,  its  ruinous  fall.  Among  all 
his  contemporaries  chosen  as  the  fittest  to  receive  the  royal 
dignity,  possessing  personal  beauty,  animal  courage,  command- 
ing stature,  warlike  skill,  gifted  with  energy,  perseverance,  and 
a  high  regard  for  the  honour  of  his  nation,  Saul  entered  upon 
his  new  and  untried  office  under  most  favourable  circumstances. 
Though  he  was  not  what  we  should  call  a  religious  man  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  term,  yet  he  at  first  exhibited  a  sincere  zeal 
for  the  worship  of  Jehovah  and  the  customs  of  which  it  formed  the 
moving  power.  He  repressed  with  a  strong  hand  infringements 
of  the  ancient  code  ;  he  would  sacrifice  his  gallant  son  for  a 
breach  of  a  religious  vow.  A  skilful  commander  and  organizer, 
he  raised  a  band  of  heroic  warriors,  with  whose  aid  he  carried 
on  successful  wars,  of  which  that  with  the  Amalekites  is  only  an 
example  of  one  out  of  many.    To  him  must  be  ascribed  the 

«  2  Sam.  i.  17  flf.  The  clause  translated  in  Revised  Version  :  "  And  he 
bade  them  teach  the  children  of  Judah  the  song  of  the  Bow,"  is  thought  by 
some  to  be  the  title  found  in  the  Book  whence  the  ode  was  taken,  and 
transferred  to  the  historian's  text,  and  should  run  thus  :  "And  he  said: 
*  For  the  children  of  Judah  to  learn  by  heart  the  Bow,  from  the  Book  of 
Jasher.'  "    Then  follows  the  dirge.    So  "  Speaker's  Commentary." 


r 


212  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL. 

foundation  of  that  empire  which  reached  its  cuhninating  point 
under  his  immediate  successors.  There  was  much  in  him  that 
was  lovable  ;  he  certainly  won  the  afiection  of  his  people  so 
that  they  followed  him  willingly,  and  in  spite  of  his  later  folly 
and  madness,  never  conspired  against  him.  To  what  then  are 
we  to  attribute  his  failure,  which  led  to  his  rejection  ?  It  was 
not  that  he  was  impetuous  and  thoughtless  ;  it  was  not  that  he 
was  jealous  and  suspicious  ;  such  faults  he  had,  but  though  they 
contributed  to,  they  were  not  the  primary  cause  of  his  fall. 
That  is  to  be  sought  in  the  feeling  that  the  standard  set  before 
him,  the  ideal  to  which  he  ought  to  attain,  was  quite  beyond  the 
desire  of  his  heart  or  the  bent  of  his  will.  To  know  what  is 
right,  and  yet  to  resist  it  wilfully  ;  to  find  no  comfort  in  resist- 
ance, and  yet  to  persist  in  opposition,  is  a  state  of  inward  con- 
flict which  may  well  cloud  the  brightest  mind  with  gloom  and 
depression.  The  prophet's  voice  represented  an  external  con- 
science to  which  he  gave  only  partial  heed,  and  which  excited 
his  jealousy  and  troubled  his  peace.  Aware  that  his  sovereignty 
depended  upon  his  allegiance  to  Jehovah,  he  would  not  realize 
the  fact  in  his  daily  conduct ;  he  rebelled  against  such  con- 
straint, and  at  times  let  the  irritability  thus  occasioned  get 
complete  mastery,  so  that  he  acted  as  a  madman,  losing  all 
sense  of  justice,  law,  and  humanity.  And  when  at  length  he 
finds  that  he  cannot  be  wholly  independent,  that  the  warnings 
and  restraints  of  the  Divine  voice  cannot  be  safely  dispensed 
with,  instead  of  trying  to  retrieve  the  past  by  timely  repentance 
and  submission,  he  falls  into  the  depths  of  a  miserable  despair, 
and  his  religion  is  merged  into  a  debasing  superstition.  The 
progress  of  his  declension  has  been  sketched  in  the  previous 
narrative.  Surface  religion  is  no  support  in  great  mental 
crises.  It  fails  entirely  in  Saul's  great  need.  He  feels 
remorse,  but  not  repentance  ;  dissatisfied  and  angry  with  him- 
self, he  vents  his  humour  on  others  ;  he  can  ill  brook  reproof 
even  from  the  power  for  which  he  had  some  respect ;  head- 
strong and  self-willed  he  takes  his  own  course,  though  conscious 
that  that  course  leads  him  farther  from  God,  and  alienates  him 
from  his  truest  friend.  In  his  inmost  soul  he  knows  this,  and 
the  knowledge  occasions  vexation  and  agony  ;  he  broods  upon 
it ;  night  and  day  his  meditation  is  occupied  with  his  own  rejec- 
tion and  his  unknown  rival  ;  the  latent  insanity  in  his  mental 
constitution  is  stirred  into  activity  by  this  dark  melancholy,  and 


THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL.  213 

he  becomes  subject  to  outbreaks  of  maniacal  fury.  And  when 
his  gloomy  forebodings  and  vague  surmises  received  a  definite 
object  from  the  women's  laudation  of  David,  the  hatred  and 
suspicion  of  this  youthful  warrior  became  a  rooted  passion,  and 
goaded  him  to  reckless  cruelty,  so  that  the  once  generous,  high- 
minded  ruler  changed  into  a  gloomy,  vindictive  tyrant  ;  his 
old  heroic  spirit  failed ;  he  felt  powerless  to  contend  against  his 
destiny;  and  though  at  the  fatal  battle  of  Gilboa  he  fought 
bravely  and  disdained  to  fly,  his  was  the  energy  of  despair, 
the  hopeless  struggle  of  one  who  feels  himself  forsaken  of 
God,  and  the  fitting  end  was  suicide. 

The  fate  of  Saul,  once  chosen  of  the  Lord,  the  pride  of  the 
people,  possessed  of  many  noble  qualities  which  endeared  him 
to  the  wisest  and  best  of  the  age,  then  rejected,  haunted  by  evil 
spirits,  the  prey  of  gross  superstition,  despairing,  dying  by  his 
own  hand,  teaches  surely  that  high  privileges  must  be  used 
aright,  must  lead  to  a  high  and  holy  life,  or  they  become  curses 
and  increase  condemnation  ;  teaches  that  acting  against  con- 
science is  fatal  to  the  soul's  life,  hardens  the  heart,  alienates 
from  God  ;  that  religion  must  be  real  and  vital,  if  it  is  to  make 
a  man  strong  to  resist  evjl,  ready  to  meet  temptation,  able  to 
fight  the  Lord's  battles  against  enemies  within  or  without.  And 
it  has  a  lesson  also  for  the  nations  ;  it  warns  them  not  to  trust 
in  outward  endowments,  in  strength  of  arm,  in  multitude  of 
warriors,  but  to  see  that  their  cause  is  righteous,  to  act  with 
justice  and  humanity,  and  to  leave  the  issue  with  confidence  to 
the  Lord  of  hosts. 


Date  Due 

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BS580  .S2D2 

Samuel  and  Saul :  their  lives  and  times 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00043  6917 


>^i^jiti'"'^'^*^'^*^*^ 


Jr?>*Iiririi>: 


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